Blurring the Lines
by AnnaMay-DxHralltheway
Summary: The Muggle and the Magical worlds are crossing each other as the war grows to a climax. Everyone is on edge, expecting the worst. With sides already taken, what happens when you blur the lines? "There's a thin line between love and hate." try it?
1. Her

_**Disclaimer: **__I __do not__ under any circumstances own the Harry Potter books, the characters, or the magical awesomeness from the books (minus the random made-up spell here and there), but I do own the plot. The plot is MINE!_

_**A/N**__: hello people :D so this is my first Harry Potter fanfic and I know that, for my first one, my pairing is rather unconventional but this story just came to me so easily, and basically wrote itself. It begged to be posted the moment it was finished. So here it is and I really hope you guys like it__._

Her

_So you better hear me out this much you owe me  
__I gave up my life for you, totally devoted to you while I've stayed  
__Paved for all the way this is how I fucking get repaid  
__Look at how I dress, fucking baggy sweats, go to work a mess  
__Always in a rush to get back to you, I ain't heard you yet  
__Not even once say you appreciate me, I deserve respect  
__I've done my best to give you nothing less then perfectness  
__And I know that if I end this I'll no longer have nothing left  
__But you keep treating me like a staircase, it's time to fucking step  
__And I won't be coming back, so don't hold your fucking breath  
__-Eminem_

**Hermione's POV**

That bastard. That _bastard. _That **bastard**!

I wiped angry tears away from my cheeks as I ran down the corridor leading to the front doors of Hogwarts. I ran smack into one of the doors, which, unfortunately, didn't open with the intended dramatics I had expected. Instead I rammed the door with a surprisingly, not to mention frustratingly, light force. I groaned and leaned against the heavy door staring down the empty corridor hyperventilating.

If I were truly thinking rationally, I would be crying my eyes out in the private room I had been given as a Perfect. Well… if I were really _truly_ being rational, I wouldn't be crying or running around or hyperventilating in the middle of the night, period.

I always knew this would happen… rationally. But love wasn't rational now was it?

Love. I loved him. I had loved him. After all, he was the reason I was crying, wasn't it?

A sob escaped my throat as my brain decided to relive my deciding moment.

He was sitting in the common room, Harry attempting to help Ginny master the skills of chess. Her brow furrowed in annoyance as Harry made a move that had her trapped. I remember my heart stopping at the way Harry looked at her. His piercing green eyes betraying his true and undulated love for her. But there was that underlying fear that he wouldn't be enough to protect Ginny from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; our last year at Hogwarts was like a painful and continuous reminder of what we couldn't control.

Although I refused to dwell on this; it was one measly week away from valentines day for goodness sake! Her and Ron were going to go to the dance, then had planned on hanging out in her room all night (wink wink), but what she saw made her stop in her tracks and her heart splutter uncomfortably in her chest was Ron. There he was, brushing a piece of hair delicately from Lavender Brown's face with an expression I had expected to only truly belong to me. Apparently not.

I stood there watching, frozen, paralyzed by my betrayal. My best friend. My _best _friend. My _boyfriend_.

Ginny was the first one to notice me.

Then Harry.

Then Ron.

He jumped away from Lavender so fast you would think she burned him.

"Hermione, it's not what you think," he said, reaching out for me across the room, not making a single effort to walk toward me or comfort me or give me a real apology. After all, 'it's not what you think' is one of the most cliché lines he could've chosen, and wasn't considered an apology, only an excuse. Which meant what he had done, he knew was wrong and he felt he had to justify it.

"Don't bother," I whispered as I dropped my bag with a ridiculously loud thud. That's the reason I was late. Studying in the library. My Arithmancy class was kicking my ass and I desperately needed to pass the next test in two weeks time.

My last thought before hurling my body onto the from doors of Hogwarts was, _I'm the reason he wants her. I'm more devoted to my schoolwork then I am with him. I drove him into her arms. I will never be good enough._

I threw my head back into the door; the pain of that stopping my seemingly ever flowing tears. I sighed at my idiocy of basically hitting my head against the door as a horribly sharp pain shot from my head to the tips of my fingers and a strange, unwelcome wetness began to stretch from the back of my head and down my neck.

I will never be good enough.

And then the door I was leaning against was opened and I was flung to the floor… almost.

A pair of arms caught me midfall.

"Granger?" a familiar voice said, filled with surprise. This particular voice sounded strange filled with this emotion. Considering Draco Malfoy had the emotional span of a teaspoon.

I felt his hands tightened under my elbows, trying to pull me up, trying to stand me up correctly and keep me steady.

I raised my head, trying to tell him to let me go, to get his hands off me. But I didn't know which one to tell; there were two of him. I blinked my eyes a couple of times, forcing them to focus on him, or at least one of him.

"Granger, what the hell?" It was hard to mistake the panic in his voice. I blinked one more time and finally, for a small moment, I clearly saw those incredibly blue eyes and that ridiculously platinum blonde hair, and I only got to speak two words. Two words that were the start of something, something I would've never expected.

In a voice I would've never recognized as my own , I whispered, "Help me," and then everything went dark.

The last thing I saw was the pure, raw surprise on Draco's face, and the last thing I thought was that he looked so much better without that unattractive sneer that's normally cast on his lips.

_**A/N**__: make Hermione feel better with some reviews? :D_


	2. Him

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own the Harry Potter series, nor do I own the characters, but I do however own the plot __J_

_**A/N: **__hey good people of the world :D I'm really glad you like my story so far and I'm really excited about how far this story is going to take me. So I've actually found it rather difficult to write for Draco since so much of his past is only hinted at in the books or movies, so bare with me. Please tell me if there is anything wrong with his character, anything that seems too _off_ for Draco Malfoy and I'll do my best to accommodate. Now. Without further ado, the chapter._

Him

_Too late for the other side  
__Caught in a chase  
__25 to life  
__Too late for the other side  
__Caught in a chase  
__25 to life  
__Yeah, too late  
__I can't keep chasing em  
__Taking my life like that  
__Caught in a chase  
__25 to life  
__-Eminem_

**Draco's POV**

The last letter from my father hadn't surprised me. It spoke of expected things; family, grades, Quidditch, Pansy, things after Hogwarts…, the Death Eaters.

A shutter rippled through me at thought of the Dark Lord, _my _Lord.

I sighed and unclenched my fist, rereading the letter.

_Draco,_

_I received a notice today about your grades. Still not good enough. Be better, study harder. For your last year at Hogwarts, you must accomplish at least one thing that won't disgrace the Malfoy name. Your mother is convinced that your grades aren't all that bad, but… being worse then a filthy mudblood? I think not. I've heard you have failed yet again to catch the snitch in your last Quidditch game against Potter. Yet again, I must give my discredit for your failures._

_Also, Mr. Parkinson and I have been discussing about a possible future with you and Pansy. We agreed that an arranged marriage would be the best for the both of you to create a pureblood heir. I've opened and account at the jeweler's shoppe in Diagon Alley. As you know, money is not a problem so pick a ring that you would be proud to see on Pansy's finger. I suggest proposing on graduation day. I'm sure that graduation day will hold much meaning for you._

_Signed,_

_Lucius Malfoy_

I glared at the paper and crumpled it back into a ball. Of course my father would mention Granger and her continuous triumph over me in just about all classes, well, with Arithmancy in question. And of course he would mention Potter's steady win during Quidditch and ultimately the House Cup, every year he's been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

But what I hadn't expected was an arranged marriage. Announced through a note. To Pansy. Parkinson.

And the subtle hint to my becoming a Death Eater once Hogwarts was over.

I hated feeling so out of control of my own future.

But this was my family.

This was my duty.

I sighed again and stood up from the ground, finally bothering to take a look around.

I hadn't realized how late it was. The full moon was high in the sky, illuminating the slate-grey lake in front of me. I sighed and looked over at my reflection in the lake. The sadness in my eyes surprised me. I fixed my expression to the mask I had been so use to wearing, ever since I was a little kid.

I roughly shoved the note in my pocket and stalked toward the front doors of Hogwarts. As I walked up the steps one of the doors thudded roughly. I stopped and my hand instantly went to my wand, immediately suspicious.

It was far past curfew, only the Head Boys and Girls who patrolled and the Perfects had hope of walking around the castle without receiving detention, so who could possibly be throwing themselves at the front door of Hogwarts for no apparent reason?

Then a low groan.

Then an even louder thunk as if someone had hit their head, painfully, against the door.

I slowly walked up the last couple of steps, then opened the door, wand at the ready, unforgivable spells, spells the Death Eaters taught me, running through my mind.

And then she fell through the door.

I hadn't even thought about what I was doing when I quickly reached out and grabbed her.

"Granger?" the surprise unmistakable in my voice. I struggled with her dead weight trying to stand her up, right her stance. And then I felt it.

The only way I could stand her up was to clutch her close to my own body, my hand holding her back, my other hand holding up her elbow.

The hand holding her back was now saturated in her blood.

"Granger, what the hell?" I said, a little louder then necessary. My panic rising as her brown eyes rolled to the back of her head for a moment. When they came back around the look within them… it was such a devastatingly far away look. She blinked a couple of her times, her eyes finally clearing.

She looked up at me, her emotions so clear. Anger, fear, pain, betrayal. Foremost betrayal. Tears escaped her eyes and quickly rolled down her cheeks, mixing with her blood.

She seemed to have seen me so clearly, seen through the careful façade I normally wore, it was slightly unnerving. And then she whispered two words I would've never thought she could've ever spoken to a Malfoy.

"Help me."

She held my eyes for a moment, then they rolled into the back of her head, passing out.

I couldn't help what I did next.

I let go of her and her body slumped unceremoniously to the ground, the blood quickly beginning to pool around her head, her hair turning from her natural light brown, to a horrible russet color. The blood pooling around her hair was… the most beautiful color of crimson I could hardly believe…

I couldn't really understand why people like her were considered 'mudbloods'. There was no reason why her blood; her pure, innocent, unadulterated blood; was considered muddy. Her blood. Her blood is beautiful.

I shook myself out of my trance and looked around for a moment, flustered. What should I do?

_Get her to Pomfrey._

Still in my panicked state, I put my wand away, not even considering levitating her, and quickly picked her up and held her closely in my arms, the blood still dripping from her head.

Her head rolled so her face was connected to the base of my throat. Then I felt a small, shallow, hot puff of air hit my neck. She was still breathing, but way too shallow for my liking, way to shallow too be healthy.

I carried her with an ease that came with being the Slytherin Quidditch team captain and the teams seeker. And it was a with that ease and stability that we reached the infirmary within minutes.

Madam Pomfrey gasped, eyes widened first on Granger, then me.

What a sight we must've been. Her blood was still dripping steadily from her head, and there I stood with her limp body clutched against my chest, covered in her blood. Granger groaned in my arms, her shallow breaths becoming pants. Both our eyes flew to the girl in my arms, then Madam Pomfrey began working.

She pulled me off to a bed where I laid Granger down. With her out of my arms I didn't really know what to do with myself, so I settled for standing out of Pomfrey's way while she worked over Herm- Gran-. God. She was driving me mad. Calling her my her first name. I scoffed at myself. She didn't deserve that. She was Harry Potter's best friend. She didn't deserve anything.

_She's just a filthy, disgusting mudblood. _I thought to myself with less anger then I expected of myself. I couldn't really believe that her blood was tainted. I had seen it. There was nothing mud-like about her blood, about the perfect crimson that flowed from her head.

I plunked into a chair as I watched Madam Pomfrey wave her wand over… Granger… speaking healing spells I've never learned. I continued to watch, mesmerized by the way she worked over her patients, much like Pansy who was trained to be our Dark Lord's healer when the war began.

The war. I shuddered.

Caught up in my own thoughts, I hadn't seen when she had finished with Granger until she approached me.

"Are you hurt as well?" she asked with caution. I narrowed my eyes at her and gave her my smirk, showed her my mask.

"I'm fine." Then her eyes turned suspicious.

"What happened to her?" Translation: what did you do to her? I sighed and dropped my mask in defeat.

"I didn't do anything to her. I was patrolling and came across her like this at the front door." She scrutinized me for a moment, then, satisfied by my answer, nodded and gave me a once-over.

"You should go back to your dorm and change you clothes." I hesitated. "Or if you'd prefer I can give you some clean clothes and let you stay here," she said, ending with more of a question mark then a period. I nodded and she left me alone, then came back with a pair of black pants and a black t-shirt. She pointed to the bathroom and nodded at me.

I sighed and lifted myself out of the chair and dragged myself to the bathroom, more tired then I expected to be. I pulled the bathroom door close behind me and turned my back to the mirror. I striped off my clothes putting them in a bloody pile in the corner. I turned around, still refusing to look in the mirror as I washed the blood, her blood, off of my chest, arms, and hands. Then I finally looked in the mirror. It was strange to see my hair, my practically colorless hair stained with her blood. I shook my head and washed it out with the repulsive soap found in muggle public restrooms until the water stopped running red.

Once I was finished I stared at my reflection, really looked at it. The circles under my eyes might as well be permanently etched onto my skin from my insomnia, my cheek bones and jaw structure looked more angular then ever from lack of eating, and my normally pale skin, looked strangely paler. And my eyes, they looked so hollow. They had even felt hollow as the date slowly approached.

But they weren't hollow when she looked into them.

_Because she caught you off guard! You didn't expect Harry Potter's best friend to fall through that door with a concussion and blood flowing out of her skull._

Then why did I hesitate? Why was I compelled to stay here with her?

_Because you found her and you're a gentleman. Your going to see her through until the end, Potter's friend or not._

Why 'help me'?

…_good luck with that one…_

I shook myself, not really wanting to fight with my brain as I felt so many sleepless nights finally catch up with me. I raked my hand through my hair as I exited the bathroom. Madam Pomfrey looked up for a moment, but looked down, uninterested.

I sauntered near the chair at Granger's bedside, seeing a green blanket placed upon it. I picked up the blanket off the chair and took it with me to another chair across the room, willing myself to put as much distance as possible between her and I.

_**A/N:**__ reviews for Draco's revelation whether he wants to admit he had one or not?_

_**A/N:**__ as an afterthought, I wanted to say that these first two chapters are in fact supposed to be rather vague about the things they're thinking. I promise there is a method to my madness so please please please review! _


	3. It's Not So Bad

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own the Harry Potter books or the characters, however, I do own the plot. FOREVER MINE!_

_**A/N:**__ I just wanted to say thank you guys so much for checking out my story. Also, now that were starting to show some consistence in chapters, I just wanted to say that I'm going to start posting every three days until the very end. Okay, now. On with the chapter!_

It's Not So Bad

_My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why i  
__Got outta bed at all  
__The morning rain clouds up my window  
__And I can't see at all  
__And even if I could it'd all be grey  
__But your picture on my wall  
__It reminds me that it's not so bad  
__It's not so bad  
__-Eminem_

**Hermione's POV**

Waking up was… difficult. I was aware that I wanted to wake up, to open my eyes, but I couldn't. My eyelids, my entire body for that matter, felt like there was a hundred pound weight on top of it.

Slowly I willed myself to move something, anything. I twitched the big toe on my left foot. A strange, warm sensation spread out from the tips of my toes to the ends of each strand of hair, chasing away any trace of cold within my body. And then I was fully aware of how sore my body was for lack of movement, and an intense throbbing pain wrapping itself all the way around my head. I moaned and turned over, making my stomach churn with it.

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking a couple of times to clear my vision and clenched my hand, surprised to find another set of fingers in mine. I closed my hand around the set of foreign fingers, expecting to find a clutch of slender pale fingers, the hand of a Slytherin Seeker. I was shocked by my disappointment of finding the pudgy fingers of a Gryffindor Keeper.

"Hermione?" The panic in his voice gave me a twinge of guilt for what I was about to do to him.

"Why are you here?" I asked, slightly astonished with the coldness in my voice. Confusion and sleep clouded his dark blue eyes.

"What do you mean? I'm always here for you," he said quietly.

"Did you ever consider that maybe I don't _want_ to see you?"

"Hermione… I-" I cut him off, angry tears stinging my eyes.

"I don't have the brain capacity to listen to your excuses right now." Ron hung his head in defeat.

"Okay, Hermione," He stood up to leave, "Ginny brought down some clothes for you to change into," I refused to look at him, "Goodbye, Hermione," he said, his voice ringing with a unfamiliar finality hidden inside it. I turned on my other side, denying myself the pain of watching him leave; but I couldn't miss the name he muttered as he walked out the doors.

I slowly turned onto my back, my stomach protesting intensely, and lifted myself to a semi-sitting position by my elbows.

"Dang Granger, toss out your boy toy why don't you," he said, that disgustingly smug smile on his face. It was bizarre to think of Malfoy as innocent with that guarded look in his eyes and that mask of a smirk. But his eyes the other night, their pure surprise and panic, would be forever burned in my memory.

"Shut up Malfoy, he's not my boy toy." He gave a humorless laugh, "What are you doing here anyway?" I said gently probing the back off my head, wincing when my fingers found a sore spot.

"Stomach bug." I paused in the gentle assessing of my head to look at him suspiciously.

"You found me." His jaw tightened and nodded sharply. "You didn't look sick. Surprised maybe, but not sick."

"You had a concussion, your judgment is flawed." I glared at him, but let his comment slide; my attention turning to the steaming hot Styrofoam cup tenderly in his hand. My stomach, instead of gurgling in anger, growled with hunger. That smug smile returned to his face as my stomach let out a suddenly loud growl.

"Hungry, Granger?" he asked condescendingly.

"Maybe," I said, indignantly lifting my chin. He shook his head, a small smile, a small genuine smile, gracing his lips. He crossed the room and sat in the chair Ron had recently vacated and held out what smelled like peppermint tea. I stared at the cup warily, the looked back at him. "You didn't poison it did you?"

He gave me the you-really-think-I-would-poison-you-in-the-infirmary look, then carefully took off the lid, steam rising around the both of us, and took a sip. After a moment he put the lid back on.

"Satisfied?" he asked, annoyance strong in his voice. I nodded, still wary, and took the cup from his hands. He glared at me, his jaw tight again, "You really think I would poison you?" he asked, straining to get control of his anger.

I sat myself up all the way, the peppermint settling my temperamental stomach. I took a not-so-subtle glance at this left forearm, looking for the mark of a Death Eater. I relaxed when all I found was pale, flawless skin; but the muscles in his arm tensed and his sudden need to hide his arm did not go unnoticed. I took a sip from his cup, spreading sweet, delicious, peppermint warmth throughout my body.

"I'm sorry," I said. He looked at me with guarded eyes.

"For what?" he asked shortly.

"For saying that… for insinuating that… you had…" I gestured at his now folded up arm lamely, "one of those…" I felt a blush creep upon my face. I watched as his mask fell a little.

_His ice blue eyes look almost… human._

…Human? What in the world was I thinking? Draco Malfoy… human? He was the spawn of the devil for Merlin's sake! Despite the fact that Dumbledore saw good in him.

In our past years at Hogwarts the teachers, including Dumbledore, have been trying their hardest to make the students feel safe and at home. At first, only The Order knew about the fast approaching war, but now-a-days everyone was one edge. And everyone was fully aware of the fact that the Malfoy family had dedicated themselves to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

I was always confused as to why they let the only Malfoy heir stay at their school, let alone become Head Boy, then a Perfect. But, secretly, I knew. I always knew. Dumbledore hoped that during the time Draco spent at Hogwarts, time he spent _away_ from his father and his insane customs and choices, he would make the right choice. Turn away from his family and join our side. But no one could truly ask him to do that. As much as I hate the Malfoy family, I can understand why he can't do that. He can't abandon his family, abandon the duties his family had thrust upon him.

But that's not going to stop me form hating him.

…not in the least.

I sighed, "I'm sorry." He nodded, then turned to me. I took another sip of my (my?) tea as I watched him stare at me, his eyes showing his turmoil.

_I wonder what he could be battling with himself about…_

He sighed, a part of him giving in to the other.

"Can I ask you something?" I narrowed at him and took another sip.

"I guess." My wariness not at all subtle.

"Why did you say… 'help me'?" I froze mid sip.

When I had said that I hadn't really meant 'help me because I'm bleeding'. It was more of a 'save me from myself' plea, considering I was the one who gave myself a concussion. In that moment, all I wanted was to forget. Forget Ron, forget the war, forget school, forget family. Just… forget. Of course, giving myself a concussion was, obviously, not the way to go about this. Subconsciously I knew this, but in the moment of adrenaline it doesn't matter. When I said help me, I had asked him to help me forget without even considering who I was talking to or what kind of state I was in (the slowly moving toward unconsciousness state). But I would never admit that to him.

I swallowed the small amount of tea in my mouth and gave him my best puzzled face.

"I don't know. I don't even remember saying it." Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes at me.

"I don't believe you." I grinned sarcastically at him.

"You said it yourself, I had a concussion. My judgment is flawed." he glared at me half-heartedly. I smiled at him and took another sip.

Nope. Not in the least.

_**A/N:**__ so there it is! I hope you liked it! Reviews are always appreciated in the land of Dramione __J so review onward! Thank you guys!_


	4. All At Once

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own the Harry Potter world that J. K. R. has created, but I do love messing with it :D_

_**A/N: **__Guys… just… thank you. So much! I don't think you have _any _idea how much this means to me. I never thought a response like this would happen with this story. Thank you so much. I know that most of the beginning chapters are fillers, but trust me amazing and exciting things are going to happen, I promise. So please just bare with me haha. And without further ado, the chapter:_

_All At Once_

_All at once,  
__The world can overwhelm me  
__There's almost nothing that you could tell me  
__That could ease my mind  
__Which way will you run  
__When it's all around you  
__And the feelin' lost and found you again  
__A feelin' that we have no control  
__-Jack Johnson_

**Draco's POV**

The next couple of days leading up to Valentine's day were uneventful. I idly noticed that Weasel spent all his time and energy trying to get Hermione to talk to him. He seemed dead to her, and if he was the reason for her distress, the distress that caused her to willingly hurt herself, then I didn't mind in the least. She wouldn't look at him or even acknowledge his presence when he apologized. I actually felt some pity for the idiot.

I found out that Pothead had apparently taken Granger's side when I eavesdropped on Potter and Weasely two days before the dance, two days before Valentine's day.

"Stop apologizing," Scare Face whispered.

"But-"

"No! No 'buts'. She's pissed at you. Let her be pissed. And if your lucky she'll talk to you again."

"But… but… I love her." Silence. "Well… I like her." More silence. "Well… I like parts of her…?" he offered, making his statement sound more of a question then anything.

A sound that sounded a lot like Potter whacking Weasel over the head echoed in the corridor.

"OW! Harry! What the hell?" He hit his secret lover, as my friends and I like to call them, again.

"OW!"

"Parts of her? Ron! What the bloody hell were you thinking telling her you loved her when you really didn't know! What's wrong with you." Another smack. Silence.

"I know. I know, I know, I know! I was stupid and vile and I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve her. I never deserved her. I feel so horrible about what I did and I know I shouldn't expect her to talk to me again, but… I miss her. I miss us. The three of us I mean," he groaned. "Were never dating within our group again. Ok?" Potter laughed.

"You're an idiot."

"That includes my sister." I laughed quietly as I turned my head around the corner to see Potter's reaction. He was standing there, eyebrows way past his hairline, staring at Weasel with such a shocked expression that it took everything for me to stay quiet.

"Hermione's basically my sister so where does that leave you and me?" Weasely glared at him. "Exactly. But I don't plan on hurting Ginny any time soon."

"For how long are you going to rub this in?"

"Until she decides to forgive you."

"That could be never."

"Then I'm never going to let you forget." Potter said, taking his role of older protective brother very seriously.

And with one last whiney groan from Weasely, they were off to class.

Now I was sitting in my common room, Pansy's head resting on my shoulder. I looked down at her, her eyes looking back up at me.

"I'm going to go patrol." She glared at me.

"Why?" she whined.

"Because it's my duty to do so and I will _not_ abandon my duties." I snipped at her more harsh then necessary. She flinched back from the venom in my words and nodded slowly standing.

"Goodnight, Draco." she said, not meeting my eyes. I sighed heavily. This was the person I was to marry, spend the rest of my life with. I stood up and gathered her in a hugged. She stiffened at first, then quickly hugged me back, not use to being shown anything close to affection by me.

I knew I didn't love her. I didn't even like her. But she was my duty. It was my duty to marry her, a pureblood, and create an heir of our own; just like my duty to become a Death Eater. Just like it was my duty to patrol the school whether I liked it or not. And normally, I did. I liked traveling around the castle and through its many unknown corridors. 7 years at this school and I barely know anything around here other then the dungeons and the way to my classes. Sad.

"Goodnight, Pansy." I let go of her and stepped around her, not wanting to see the look in her eyes. The look that said, I love you. Please marry me. I hated that look.

I sighed as I pulled on my cloak. The one thing I hated about the dungeons; it was always freezing the moment you stepped out of the door.

I found myself wandering toward the library. In my opinion, my body was right. I never really gave this library the attention it deserved.

I've always had a fondness for reading. Fiction, non-fiction, anything. I was pretty good at retaining the information as well. _Apparently not good enough_, I thought; my mind straying away back to the letter I received.

_Could I ever _really_ be brighter then the brightest witch of our age?_

Smarter then 'the brightest witch of our age'? You must be mad.

_Then what do I do about my father?_

Who cares? You have a couple months left. You won't have to think about school ever again afterward.

Only a couple months left. I shuddered, desperately not wanting to think about then end of school and pushed the library door open silently.

"Oh Jack, why do you do such things to me? You know I need to work on my Arithmancy homework," a voice said, sounding more tired then ever. I furrowed my brows. Who was Jack? Why was Granger talking to him? What are they doing? And why the hell are they doing it in the _library?_

I slowly walked toward the table her voice seemed to come from. She sighed and closed a book. I turned a corner, seeing Hermione sitting in a chair, her hair cascading down the back of it. She seemed to be alone. Confused I started to walk toward her.

"Ok, ok I give up. You win," she said, standing up. I froze. Who was she talking to?

She slumped back down into her chair. She muttered a spell I couldn't hear, flicked her wrist, and watched as her stuff packed itself and the book she had float past me and into its correct spot.

Wandless magic. She'd been practicing.

Of course she had. Were talking about Hermione Granger for Merlin's sake.

She moaned and unceremoniously hit her head against the desk. I laughed out loud, and froze again, waiting for her to turn around and yell at me, and hex me to hell and back for spying on her… but she didn't. She didn't even seem to hear me. I began to walk closer to her.

She blindly began to search for something in her bag which was on the chair to her left. I was standing right behind her now, shocked she hasn't heard me yet. I tapped her shoulder. She shot up so fast I didn't even realize what happened until it was over.

In one fast, fluid movement she retracted her left hand, pulling close to her side, lifted her head, and swung a wicked right hook blindly into my face.

Before it could connect painfully with my eye, I grabbed her wrist.

Being a Death Eaters' son has its benefits apparently.

In that moment she seemed to come back to the world.

I continued to hold her wrist as I saw shock flit over her face, then recognition. I expected her to rip her arm from mine, then continue to hex me into oblivion. Instead, her entire body relaxed, her arm going limp in mine. I've never seen her so tired.

She gently took her hand from mine and pulled out some sort of plugs from both of her ears. She was smiling an easy smile. I looked into her eyes, searching for anger, fury, rage, fear even, anything.

"I'm sorry I almost punched you. You really shouldn't sneak up on me while I'm tired."

"I wasn't exactly sneaking," I told her, still confused. Her brows furrowed and she stared at me warily with a smirk on her face.

"I'm sorry. When I turn on my music I'm pretty much dead to the world. And when I'm tried I can be so unobservant… what are you staring at?"

"Whose Jack?" To my surprise she broke out in laughter. I glared at her, my question didn't seem as funny to me. Abrupt maybe, but not funny.

"Jack Johnson. He's a singer and a musician. He was who I was listening to on my iPod."

"…iPod?" She smiled again, standing up and slinging her back pack over her shoulder.

"It's an American Muggle product that holds music in it." I nodded.

"And Jack Johnson is in there?"

"His music is. It's complicated to explain. Half of the music on here I don't listen to. A Muggle friend of mine gave it to me when my parents and I visited her. Her and her friends put all different types of play lists on it."

"Play lists?"

"A list of specific types of songs." I nodded again, pretending to understand. She laughed, handing me the blue contraption with the plugs sticking out.

"You should go through it. I only use it to study, but I get along without it ok. I normally understand things once I use them hands on so you should try it." She walked closer to me, bring my hands and the 'iPod' down to her level. "You press this button to see the song to choose from. Once you choose a song, you control the volume like this. You can skip a song or go forward by pressing this button, and this one to go back a song. To turn it off you just press the pause button, this one, and then lock it by pressing this button at the top." I nodded, trying hard to listen to what she was saying instead of focusing on the delicious smell of strawberries coming from her hair.

"These are head phones. You put them in your ears so you and only you can hear the music." She sighed, taking a step back. "I'm going to bed."

"Ok." Genius response that was, Draco. Good job. She smiled.

"Take care of that for me. I'm going to need it back before the Arithmancy test." I nodded. Wow my vocabulary is extensive tonight. She laughed. "Goodnight, Malfoy."

"Goodnight, Granger." She slipped out of the library door without another look back.

_**A/N: **__so their's the chapter. I hope you guys liked it :)__ reviews make chapters so please please please review! :D_


	5. All The Small Things

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not in any way shape or form own the Harry Potter books or the characters. I do, however, enjoy screwing with them ;)_

_**A/N:**__ thank you so much for the support guys! I've had so much fun writing this story so far and I already know how this is going to end, so I'm really excited! Reviews are love! Thank you so much!_

All The Small Things

_Always, I know  
__You'll be at my show  
__Watching ,waiting  
__Commiserating  
__Say it ain't so  
__I will not go  
__Turn the lights off  
__Carry me home  
__-Blink 182_

**Hermione's POV**

I walked, arm in arm with Hannah Abbott, into the dinning room. The Hufflepuff girl and I have become close friends, and our tables were right next to each other, so no one gave us a second glance as we both walked toward the Gryffindor table.

As we got closer I noticed that the only spot in the long stretch of table was in between Harry and Ron. I froze. Was I really ready to forgive him? What hurt the most wasn't the break up in general per say, but the way it happened. He was my best friend and yet he betrayed me like that. Best friend, boy friend. There was a thin line between the two.

I smiled as I thought back to year 5 when Harry and I had found comfort in each other when Ginny and Ron had been dating other people. We didn't last long, but there was something there for a couple of weeks. I remember the way we used to joke around with each other, not changing much during our platonic relationship.

We had been in the library, of course, and we had been studying, of course. I was getting absolutely nothing done in his presence so he decided that we should go explore the grounds seeing as he brought his invisibility cloak. I agreed, took the cloak from him, and said, "I'm going to put my stuff away. But I'll be back." I paused and leaned toward him, our lips almost touching, "Then we can, lickity split."

Jessica had to teach me how to make that ridiculous saying sound sexy, although, she had no trouble with it. I was reminded of an American movie she had made us watch, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Caroline and Norah's relationship was so much like Jessica's and mine that it was shocking. Jessica was always on a quest for attention, but she was a good girl. It was difficult to leave her for Hogwarts, even if I made amazing friends here. Seeing her every summer has become a huge part of my life.

I was quickly brought back to the present with a supportive squeeze from Hannah. I smiled at her and nodded, telling her that I was alright and everything will be okay.

We began walking again. When we reached my destination we were both greeted by friendly 'hello's and smiles. She politely smiled back.

"Hi, Ron," she said.

"Hey, Hannah," he said back. Her blush betrayed her carefully composed features. She gave me a small wave and walked away. As soon as she was gone Ron continued his normal groveling. I sighed and sat down continuing my ignore-Ron routine, until Harry reached around me and poked Ron. I watched as Harry gave Ron a pointed look, smiled at me, then continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"Hermione?" Something about his voice made me give up my resolute and look at him.

"Yes?" He smiled widely at me finally speaking to him after a couple of days of silence.

"I just… I just wanted to say something," he said. He paused, looked me in the eyes and said in one big rush, "I was stupid and vile and I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve you. I never deserved you. I feel so horrible about what I did and I don't expect you to talk to me again, but… I miss you and your voice bossing all of us around." I rolled my eyes. I began to turn away but he touched my arm, making me look back at him. "I miss us. The three of us I mean. All of us being together again. Its easy. Like breathing. It comes second nature to me and without you it's like I'm missing a huge part of me." He took a breath. "I'm sorry."

I scrutinized his eyes, looking for any sign of insincerity, but he was being completely honest. I looked back at my plate, which was now filled with food. I picked up my fork and stabbed it into a piece of turkey. I put it into my mouth, tasting each and every seasoning the cook had used on it, filling my mouth with flavor. I was severely aware of almost everyone from our group, including Luna, Neville, Ginny, Harry, and of course Ron, boring holes into me. I glanced up at Ron, back to my food, the back at him.

Once I swallowed I said, "So. You have the Arithmancy notes from yesterday? I need them." Virtually everyone gave a sigh of relief; Ron's sigh blew some of the hair out of his eyes.

Ron gave me a smile and said, "You really think I took notes? I was asleep in the first 5 minutes." His happiness was so infectious that I couldn't help but smile back. Once the talk around the table resumed I turned to Ron again.

"I'm getting there. I'm just… I'm not there yet. The completely forgiven place. After what you did… I'm just… I'm not there yet."

"I'll do anything to… help you get there." I smirked.

"Anything?" He looked at me warily and nodded. "I want you to take Hannah to the dance." His brows scrunched up in confusion.

"The Hufflepuff?" I nodded. "But… what? Why?" he said, giving a small laugh. I smiled.

"I think she's the only one who can truly deal with your insanely volatile temper." As if I called it to the table, he puffed out his chest in mock masculinity.

"My temper is _not_ volatile!" he said. Ginny laughed out loud.

"It is. It really is." Neville and Luna snickered.

"Be quiet lady!" Ron shouted, which only sent Ginny into a fit of laughter. Ron flushed angrily.

"So." I said, calling his attention back to me. "You'll ask her?" his cheeks slowly turned back to their normal pale color and nodded.

"Yeah, okay." I smiled, satisfied with myself. With a small pang of sadness I realized I would be going to the dance alone. Luna was going with Neville, Ginny was going with Harry, and Hannah was going with Ron. It was times like these where I wished Jessica was with me. She wouldn't be ashamed to go alone, granted she would be leaving with someone in the end, but the fun in between was what counted. And if it was just her and I like it would be now, she wouldn't abandon me. I sighed and reached for my reminder of Jessica in my pocket and noticed with a start that the iPod wasn't in my pocket. My heart returned to a normal rate when I realized I had given it to Malfoy the night before.

I looked across the room toward the Slytherin table. I spotted Malfoy easily, his pale blonde hair stuck out like a sore thumb. Pansy was hanging all over him, trying to get his attention it seemed, but he was in his own world. He was bobbing his head ever so lightly that, if you hadn't been looking for it, you wouldn't have noticed it. I smiled as I realized he was listening to the iPod.

As if he felt me looking at him he glanced up in my direction. I gestured to my head, acting as if I were pulling on of the plugs out of my ear. He reached up to his own and mirrored my actions, but pulled out a previously concealed headphone. He smirked at me and offered it to me. I shook my head. His smirk turned into a small smile and put the headphone back in. We continued to stare at each other. Ginny tapped me on the shoulder and, forcing me to rbeak my eye contact with Malfoy, and mouthed, "Looks like the Prince of Slytherin has a thing for the Brightest Witch of Our Age." My eyes widened and I felt the ridiculous blush quickly fill my face.

"Ginny! That's absurd! Eat your food," I instructed.

"Hermione, why are you blushing so badly?" Ron asked teasingly. I turned my glare on him.

"Don't start with me. Your still on my list," I said. Harry snickered.

"You too."

"What? Why!"

"Because I said so!" I glared at Neville and Luna, daring them to say something. They looked down at their plates and continued eating. I smiled, satisfied.

"So how are things with you and Ron right now?" Harry asked quietly. I smiled again.

"I may look calm, but right now I've just killed him three times in my head." he laughed. "You know, I think a part of me will always miss him," he nodded and hugged me. Again things around the table calmed down and people went back to eating.

The rest of my time spent in the dinning hall was slightly uncomfortable because, the entire time, I was fully aware of a pair of pale blue eyes watching me from across the room.

"You're asking Pansy?" Blaise asked for the millionth time.

"Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice," I muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." I said too quickly. He looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. "What about you? Who are you going with?" The only way to describe the smile that crept on his face was that it was very… Slytherin.

"Greengrass." he said, eagerness in his eyes.

"Daphne?" he nodded. "Cool." He looked at me again.

"Well, aren't you excited about the dance." he said sarcastically. I glowered at him.

"You know how I feel about this."

"Yes I know, you think it's ridiculous and idiotic, etcetera, etcetera," he said, then stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "but live it up a little will ya! Schools almost over. We're almost out of here. This is the beginning!" he said.

Sure, it's the beginning. The beginning of the end.

"Hey, Draco," Pansy's shrill voice from behind me. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Pansy." Blaise and I kept walking.

"Dude, what is wrong with you! Turning her down! Come on, man!" Thankfully we came to my room. I opened the door.

"Bye, Blaise." I said stepping inside.

"But-"

"Bye." I closed the door. I listened as Blaise gave an annoyed grunt and left the hallway. After a while of sitting in my room doing absolutely nothing, I heard the familiar footsteps of Theodore Nott, and thankfully, he was alone. I quickly got up and wretched the door open before he passed it. He froze, shocked by the random opening of my door, but then unfroze and gave me a suspicious nod.

"Malfoy," I nodded back.

"Nott." He began to continue walking. "Hey, wait. Nott. Can I ask something of you?" He turned back, his eyes narrowed at me.

"What?"

"Will you take Pansy to the dance?" I asked, hoping he didn't hear the underlying desperation in my voice. His eyes widened in shock, the confusion.

"Why don't you take her?"

"I just don't want to." My annoyance with Pansy didn't go unnoticed to anyone except Pansy. He nodded again, considering.

"Yeah, okay. I'll ask her. You sure your cool with this?" I nodded, hope beginning to fill my stomach excitedly.

"Yes, it's fine."

"Okay, I'll ask her. Bye, Malfoy." I sighed in relief.

"Thanks Nott." He smiled and shook his head as he walked away.

I smiled and threw myself on the bed, reaching for Granger's iPod, put in the headphones and drifted to sleep.

_**A/N: **__reviews are love :D_


	6. I Miss You

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Harry Potter. I just like messing with the characters ;), but I do however own Jessica. MINE!_

_**A/N: **__so this one is a long one and it also introduces Hermione's American friend, Jessica. Jessica is going to become a big part of the stories because she's a big part of Hermione. She's the only female friend that she's been really close to, despite Hermione's magic, so I hope you guys like her __J. Also, the next chapter is going to be HUGE! So review review review!_

_And I wanted to give a give shout-out to iMoshie and LadyArtemis101. Both of you have helped with with suggestiong and kept me going with your guys' reviews. Thank you J._

_Also I wanted just to explain the song I chose for this chapter. I think that this song truly represents Jessica and Hermione's relationship and also foreshadows Jessica's future and how it can intertwine with Hermione's in the end. I also think this represents Hermione and Draco's momentary friendship and also foreshadows how their futures together may connect._

_So please, ponder away :)_

I Miss You

_Hello there, the angel from my nightmare  
__The shadow in the background of the morgue  
__The unsuspecting victim or darkness in the valley  
__We can live like Jack and Sally if you want  
__Where you can always find me  
__And we'll have Halloween on Christmas  
__And in the night we'll wish this never ends  
__We'll wish this never ends  
__-Blink 182_

**Draco's POV**

Ever since Granger gave me her iPod I've been able to sleep through the night. I haven't been able to do that since becoming a Death Eater became a real thing. A very real thing. That was going to happen. Soon.

I opened my eyes and looked at the numbers floating midair from my wand. 8:30 a.m. I was half an hour late for breakfast. I sighed and forced myself up, leaving the warmth behind me as I walked into the bathroom. I quickly showered and dressed in the appropriate robes. I grabbed some books for a project I hadn't finished yet that was going to be due later on today. I stuck a piece of parchment paper with most of my work on it in the middle of a book, walked out of my room, into the common room, and out of the appear/disappear wall.

As I walked to the dinning hall I, unfortunately, bumped into Pansy. To my surprise she didn't seem to exciting about seeing me.

"Oh! Draco. Merlin. You gave me a start."

"My apologies." We stood there, neither of us making a move. She kept fidgeting with the sleeves of her robe. "Is there something you need?" she looked up at me.

"Well, Theodore Nott asked me to the dance and I was considering telling him yes," she said, her eyes begging me to understand. "but I won't go with him unless you want to…" she said.

"No. Go. You should go with him."

"Really?" I nodded happily.

"Really," I assured her. She sighed in obvious relief.

"Good I'm glad you okay with this because I wasn't so sure…" she continued to speak, reminding me of how annoying her voice was. And the way she seemed to be able to speak without taking a breath was completely unknown to me.

"Okay, so where are you going?" I asked, not wanting to go to the dinning hall if that's where she was going.

"Oh, I'm going back to my room to talk to my mother about what outfit to wear."

"Okay then. Bye Pansy." she nodded politely.

"Draco."

I nodded back and walked away. I continued on until I was only a turn away from the huge doors when someone ran straight into me, the person dropping a book and a letter on the floor.

**Hermione's POV**

I woke up inhumanly early on Valentine's day morning, not having slept too well because of the lack of music I was use to having lull me to sleep. I had tried reading, lying in my bed, hoping sleep would take me back. But it never did. Instead I used my new-found alertness to write a letter to Jessica.

_Dear Jessica,_

_I miss you! So much you have no idea! Especially now since it's Valentine's day and I'm… well… alone. Ron and I broke up. But I'm not sad. I think it was inevitable. But I'm sure you won't be, be it boy or girl, your never alone __J__. Harry is with Ginny, and Luna is with Neville. And, to your surprise I'm sure, I set Ron up with a friend of mine named Hannah._

_Enough about me though. How are you? How are our friends in America? How's Leslie? In your last letter you said she was in trouble with a boy. I hope she's okay. It's strange how we've all changed since high school. She used to be such a good girl and you… well you haven't changed much! Kidding! Kidding!_

_And, well there's something else… I think. A boy, actually. Maybe. I don't know. I can't seem to get him out of my head these days, which is ridiculous because we've hated each other for all of 7 years. Recently I saw a different side of him, a softer, nicer, … innocent side that I think no one has seen before until now. It was especially strange with the war coming up and us being on complete opposite sides. We could never work. Plus, we're completely polar opposites, we wouldn't click any day. And yet… here I am, writing about him to you. I'm going mad Jesse. MAD!_

_Write back as soon as possible. I miss your writing!_

_With love,_

_Hermione_

I sent her my letter at around 5:00 in the morning. I took a long shower, basking in the warmth, the strawberry scent of my conditioner heightened in the sweet steam of my shower. When I finally emerged it was only 6. I sighed in content, and got dressed in a USC muggle sweatshirt Jessica had sent me. That was the college she wanted to go to. Merlin I missed her. I towel dried my hair, letting the dampness slowly fade, the took out the flat iron Jessica had bought me a begged me to use. Another hour passed; 7 o'clock. I slowly dressed and packed my bag with all my books and parchment for some homework that wouldn't be due for another week, put my wand in my pocket, and made my way to the common room.

"Wow, Hermione. It looks pretty," Ginny said, reaching out to touch my hair.

"Thank you," I said, blushing slightly as I noticed my newly straight hair was causing me to gain attention.

"You want to go get breakfast? They're serving it early today."

"Sure, but, where's Harry and Ron?" she smirked.

"You know as well as I do where they are. They can sleep for the rest of the year if we let them." I laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you know what, wait. Let me go get my book. I was reading it this morning and I had to force myself to put it down." she laughed.

"Of course," she said, sitting back down in front of a Wizard's Chess Board. I quickly ran back to get my Jane Austen book. I put it in my pocket and dashed back down stairs. When I reached to common room again, Harry was sitting across from Ginny, giving her that adoring look as she tried to figure out her next move.

Ginny looked up, noticing my presence and smiled.

"Ready?" she asked. I nodded and looked at Harry.

"Are you coming do to breakfast with us?"

"I'll come down with Ron at 8." I smiled and nodded again. Ginny stood up, but before she left, she leaned over the board and lightly kissed Harry on the lips. Ginny smiled at him and then turned to me, her faces extremely flushed, then quickly ushered me out of the room and into the hallway leading to the dinning hall.

I retold the entire story to Luna when she appeared at around 7:40 and took her normal spot at the Gryffindor table. Although Luna was a Ravenclaw through and through, none of the teachers seemed to mind the integration of housemates, even if she was the only one who would even dare to sit at a table that didn't 'belong' to her.

We talked and laughed and made Ginny blush so many times in the last 20 minutes that I couldn't even count.

At 8 o'clock, as promised, Harry and Ron had decided to make themselves known. Most of the school had by now. The room was almost packed.

Food filled plates and normal morning talk consumed the gigantic room. Only once did any of the Gryffindor's get up, and that was Ron. And to my happiness, he was walking over to the Hufflepuff table and straight towards Hannah. I smiled to myself as I noticed that the Gryffindors would be integrating with the Hufflepuffs soon. At 8:10 the mail arrived, I wasn't expecting anything, so when a letter fluttered down in front of me, I was instantly apprehensive. I watched the letter as if it were an unstable explosive.

"Well! Go on! Open it!" Ron egged me on. I turned to my left to glower at him, the finally picked up the letter. I immediately smelled the lavender scent the emanated from the letter. Jessica always sprayed it on any letter she wrote to anyone. "_I never get to do it, so when I do, I'm gonna do it right!" _she told me when I questioned her about it. I grinned widely and ripped open the letter, her familiar scrawl filling a page of regular notebook paper.

_Dear Hermione,_

_To say your owl hitting it's beak against the window at 6 o'clock in the morning scared the living daylights out of me would be an understatement._

_Mi, you are never going to believe where my parents sent me this time! LONDON! I'm so close to you I can almost taste it! I want to see you and I want to meet your infamous friends!_

_Aw, sweetheart, I miss you too. I'm so sorry about you and Ron. I hope this didn't effect your guys' friendship. Although I doubt it will, I mean, look what happened with you and Harry. A year or two after your guys broke up and you two are as close as can be (and excuse me, when did we start questioning my sexuality?)._

_So Harry finally grew the balls to ask Ginny out? I'd love to hear about that one. &, Mi, you set up your one-day-old ex-boyfriend with one of your own friends? Your right, I disapprove, but if you think it's for the best then I trust you._

_I am doing perfectly fine thank you __J__. As I fore mentioned, I'm in London because my parents sent me away for their anniversary. America is… obese, loud, and dirty, as per usual. Nothing has changed since your absence. Well except for the obvious fact that the stars have dimmed and the sun no longer shines the way it did when you were here. America misses you 'Mione._

_Oh my God, Mi, your not going to believe this. Leslie is pregnant! Crazy right? Good, sweet Leslie is PREGNANT! I don't know Hermione, it's just what high school does. It changes people to something they promised they would never become._

_Hey now! What's that supposed to mean! I've changed! For the better too! You can ask around once you get your butt back to L.A. next summer!_

_A BOY? Why didn't you start the letter that way!_

_Wait, Mi, this doesn't happen to be that one boy you told me you hated? That Malfoy kid? Isn't he on the wrong side of the tracks? Especially with the war…_

_Speaking of this war, I really wish you'd elaborate. Mi, I grew up with you. I know you can do things that not many people can. And even though you never said yes, I have a feeling that's why you had to go away for school. You've told me how important Harry is but never why. You keep saying it's for my own protection. Do you think I can protect myself? And a war, Hermione? What's going on that so many people are unaware of? And how could your Malfoy be on the bad side, yet 1 attract your attention, and 2 still go to your school, which I know you consider a safe haven__._

_I say attract your attention because, if he did, then there must be some type of good in him, even if he's on the bad side. That's something I need you to remember, because in the middle of war, you sometimes see the worst of people; so I really need you to see the good. Never forget how beautiful people or the world can be. I mean, just look around. It's beautiful._

_Please find me if you need help. Magical or non-magical. I'm here for you. Always. I love you Mi. Be safe._

_With all the love of a protective big sister,_

_Jesse_

A tear trailed down my cheek. I had underestimated her intelligence. She had known. She had always known.

I had always tried hard to keep her out of my magical world, what with Voldemort going around looking for any excuse to kill a muggle, but she was too smart for my own good and wise beyond her age. She was such a beautiful person, inside and out. She was in London, so I had to go see her. And I would tell her everything. Beginning, middle, end. And then I would kidnap her and keep her muggle butt by my side and protect her until the war, this never ending war, was over.

A girl could only dream.

"You okay Hermione?" Harry asked, touching my arm in comfort. I wiped away my tear and gave him a not-really-but-I'm-going-to-pretend-like-I-am smile and nodded.

"Yeah, it's just. My friend. I miss her." he nodded, worry evident in his eyes.

"I think I'm going to go up to my room and write back to her," I said, starting to get up.

"Okay, but if you need anything, you'll call us?" I nodded, giving him a more heartfelt smile. I hugged him from behind, then tucked the letter into my book. I grabbed my bag put the strap on my shoulder, book in hand, and swiftly walked out of the hall and into the hallway; running right into none other then Malfoy.

My bag dropped from my shoulder and my notes fluttered to the floor, and his books scattered all around us.

"Sorry," we said to each other at the same time. We looked at each other for a moment, then both bent down, picking up our things one by one. I picked up all the parchment paper I could find, and reached for my the small potions book that had been in my bag. our hands brushed accidentally, and, instead of acknowledging in like a normal person, I pretended the contact never occurred and unceremoniously shoved all of the papers into my bag. He picked up the rest of the books around us with my help and we both stood up.

"I'm really sorry. I should've watched where I was going," I said, handing him a book.

"It's alright. It was my fault too. I wasn't paying attention either." I gave him a small smile, shocked that we had actually just exchanged words and none of them were insulting.

"Bye, Malfoy."

"Bye, Granger." We stepped around each other and I continued walking, but he called out my name, "Granger?" I turned around.

"Yes?"

"Congratulations on taming that fizz of yours. It's doesn't look half bad." I glowered at him, but gave him my best sarcastic sneer, mirroring his own.

"Thanks, Malfoy." Then I turned around and walked on to the Gryffindor common room, realizing that that was the closest thing to a compliment I had ever gotten from Draco Malfoy.

_**A/N: **__really long chapter right? Happy? Sad? Angry? Confuzzled? Review!_


	7. Monsoon

_**Disclaimer: **__I wish I owned the Harry Potter books, but unfortunately I do not. The only character I do own, however, is Jessica. MINE!_

_**A/N:**__ haha yes I know that this chapter was very predictable, but a lot of thing in the near future are gonna start happening that will shock you I promise. now at first this chapter might seem a bit long, but in the end the information given is worth it._

Monsoon

_I feel sorrow for the fear  
And everything it brings  
Wonder if it will ever sleep  
I know you understand  
Because you briefly look away  
Focusing on nothing So now everything is clear  
Cause there's no one to blame  
You got no place to hide  
It's only in your mind  
__-Jack Johnson_

**Draco's POV**

I sauntered into the dining hall, books in hand, and sat in my usual spot at the Slytherin table. Thankfully Pansy was now sitting with Nott, and was looking very comfortable. I looked at the food, not feeling very hungry at the moment, and pushed my plate away from me, placing all of my books on the table.

"I love this book." Daphne said, reaching out for a book that was resting on the top of my stack. "What are you doing with Emma?" she asked, flipping through it. A letter fell out and onto the table. I reached for the letter before she could read it, feeling the need to protect Granger's privacy. After all, I knew the book wasn't mine, so the letter was obviously hers.

"Granger ran into me when I was walking in here. I must've taken it by accident," I said absentmindedly. Curiosity overcame me and I opened the piece of notebook paper.

_Dear Hermione,_

_To say your owl hitting it's beak against the window at 6 o'clock in the morning scared the living daylights out of me would be an understatement._

_Mi, you are never going to believe where my parents sent me this time! LONDON! I'm so close to you I can almost taste it! I want to see you and I want to meet your infamous friends!_

The girl's greeting line was funny with a slight hint of sarcasm in it, then addressed Hermione as Mi which I've never heard anyone address her before. This girl must not being go to this school. She must be a muggle. Didn't Hermione know how dangerous it was to socialize with muggles?

By the looks of it the girl's parents are rich. No parent can randomly send their kid off when ever they feel like it unless they have money. Also, she wants to see Granger and meet her friends. Apparently they were famous in the muggle world as well. Or maybe she just knew too much of the magical one.

_Aw, sweetheart, I miss you too. I'm so sorry about you and Ron. I hope this didn't effect your guys' friendship. Although I doubt it will, I mean, look what happened with you and Harry. A year or two after your guys broke up and you guys are as close as can be (and excuse me, when did we start questioning my sexuality?)._

The girl called Granger sweetheart, hinting at a slight age difference. Maybe a year or two older.

So, she had broken up with the sidekick. I smiled at the thought, then quickly squashed the feeling, hiding my smile behind my smirk. Although my demeanor faltered when I found out she had been with Scar face.

She must be American, I thought as she easily spoke of questioning her sexuality. Only in America. I shook my head and read on.

_So Harry finally grew the balls to ask Ginny out? I'd love to hear about _that_ one. &, Mi, you set up your one-day-old ex-boyfriend with one of your own friends? Your right, I disapprove, but if you think it's for the best then I trust you._

I laughed as she made fun of Potter. At least in Granger's life she made one interesting friend. Vulgar maybe, but interesting. Granger had set up the ginger with someone else? I shook my head. That's not fair. She was always thinking of other people. But this could also be a good thing. It could mean she wasn't as affected by the break up, that they're relationship never really meant anything. I shrugged and continued to read.

_I am doing perfectly fine thank you __J__. as I fore mentioned, I'm in London because my parents sent me away for their anniversary. America is… obese, loud, and dirty, as per usual. Nothing has changed since your absence. Well except for the obvious fact that the stars have dimmed and the sun no longer shines the way it did when you were here. America misses you 'Mione._

I laughed at her very accurate description of America. Smart girl. I snorted at the sarcasm that rolled off the last sentence of her paragraph.

The girl went on to talk about someone from school who had gotten herself pregnant. One sentence really stuck out at me, _it's just what high school does. It changes people to something they promised they would never become._

I don't think I've read truer words. I continued on.

_Hey now! What's that supposed to mean! I've changed! for the better too! You can ask around once you get your butt back to L.A. next summer!_

Granger must go there every summer for it to be a regular thing.

_A BOY? Why didn't you _start _the letter that way!_

I straighten up, finally the letter got a little more interesting. But my happiness faltered at the next line the girl wrote.

_Wait, Mi, this doesn't happen to be that one boy you told me you hated? That Malfoy kid? Isn't he on the wrong side of the tracks?_

Normally I would've sneered at the paper at this comment, shoved the letter in my paper and hold it ransom, but the next line caught my so off guard that I felt the need to look around and make sure no one was reading over my shoulder.

_Especially with the war…_

How did she know about the war? I made more of an effort to cover the note as I read, making sure no eyes could read it except for my own.

_Speaking of this war, I really wish you'd elaborate. Mi, I grew up with you. I know you can do things that not many people can. And even though you never said yes, I have a feeling that's why you had to go away for school. You've told me how important Harry is but never why. You keep saying it's for my own protection. Do you think I can protect myself? And a war, Hermione? What's going on that so many people are unaware of? _

So Granger never told her anything only hinted at things; not breaking the rules, only bending them. Clever. Her friend seemed so sure of herself, so sure the she could protect herself if she knew what she was fighting against. Her last line, _What's going on that so many people are unaware of?_, made me give her a humorless laugh. There's so much she doesn't know.

_And how could your Malfoy be on the bad side, yet 1 attract your attention, and 2 still go to your school, which I know you consider a safe haven._

Her Malfoy?

_I say attract your attention because, if he did, then there must be some type of good in him, even if he's on the bad side. That's something I need you to remember, because in the middle of war, you sometimes see the worst of people; so I really need you to see the good._

The girl doesn't even know me, how could she see good in me?

She knows Hermione though, and if Hermione were to be attracted to me, which she probably isn't, then she must've seen good in me, which there isn't.

_Never forget how beautiful people or the world can be. I mean, just look around. It's beautiful._

This girl must be an optimist. It's hard to find those kind of people in the middle of a war.

_Please find me if you need help. Magical or non-magical. I'm here for you. Always. I love you Mi. Be safe._

Then she gave a signature. Her name is Jessica.

I stared at the paper, reading and rereading the last paragraph. She wanted Hermione to see the good in me specifically because she saw me as 'the wrong side of the war'. which I was. There was no denying it. My entire family was dedicated to the choice they made, the choice I made.

But this letter made me question that.

Was it really a choice I made or was it just another thing that was forced upon me?

"Draco?" I lifted my head to look at Blaise who was staring at me with obvious worry.

"What?" I asked.

"You okay, man?" I glared at him.

"Of course I'm okay. This food is just unappetizing. I'm going back to my room." I said with finality so no one would follow me. I stood up, gathered my stuff, snatched the book out of Daphne's hand, and made my way out of the dining hall, my mind reeling for Jessica's words.

**Hermione's POV**

"Bollocks!" I shouted at no one in particular as I sifted through the piles upon piles of parchment, looking for the book with Jessica's letter in it. I sighed and gave up. I knew where my book was. It was with Malfoy. I sighed again and settled into a chair, taking out a piece of blank parchment and a quill, and wrote back to her.

_Jessie,_

_I had no idea you were in London! That's so exciting! How about we meet at Caffe Nero at 36a St. Martin's Lane, WC2? I'm sure you'd love it. You should check it out tonight if your in the area._

_Merlin I've missed you so much! I don't know how many times I can say it! I can't wait to see you. And about your sexuality, I thought we were questioning that a long time ago! (kidding!)_

_Actually Harry hasn't asked her out yet, but you won't believe what Ginny did this morning. Kissed him! Out of no where! Right on the mouth! I was shocked to say the least._

_Jeez Jess, sarcastic much? Haha, well I'm sure London will be thrilled to have you around._

_(shakes head) Oh Jessica, still boy crazy as always._

_Jessica, you made me cry when I read you last couple of paragraphs. Your right. Your always right. I saw good in him Jess. I saw that he wasn't like his family, his family who has dedicated themselves to a horrid cause. I've been seeing it a lot recently. I've seen him put down his guard and what I see is amazing. He's so vulnerable Jess. And because of his family that small light of good is being put out by the ideas his father forces down his throat. He doesn't really know anything else. But it's there. The light. It's dim, but there. I wish I could help him, I really do. But there's no way to. It's too late. Sides have been taken. We're enemies Jess and… I think I'm falling for him. Oh god, this is so cliché! I'm fraternizing with the enemy for Merlin's sake!_

_I had no idea that you knew. You've know all along about magic haven't you? Wise beyond your age Jessica, I'm telling you. I still refuse to elaborate. Although I'm positive you can protect you self when and if the time comes, but you… you don't know what we're up against. It's best you stay in the dark._

_I love you Jess. Be safe._

_With all the love of a grateful little sister,_

_Hermione_

I sent the letter of and went down in the common room to go find Ginny to go get ready for the dance.

The dance was more fun the I could've imagined. I didn't feel lonely for one second even though I didn't have a date. All of us ended up going as more of a group of friends then anything. I stepped aside to get some punch when a slow song came on. I smiled and watched my friends dance with their partners.

Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hannah. Luna and Neville.

Then I looked around spotting an unusual couple. Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott. I was surprised to see that Malfoy wasn't dancing with her instead, and I was even more surprised that Nott looked like he was enjoying himself, and vice verse. As the song began coming to an end, Malfoy walked up next to me, serving himself some punch.

"Enjoying yourself Granger?" he asked in a light tone. I nodded

"It's not too bad." he snickered and drank from his cup. The song ended and Dumbledore's voice came on over the speakers.

"To further integrate the houses I would like for each of you to choose a partner that is not of your house for the next song." Luna and Neville didn't bother letting go of each other, nor did Hannah and Ron. Harry and Ginny looked around for a moment, not quite willing to give up each other, and walked off to the side to converse.

Malfoy put down his cup and cleared his throat. I had to keep myself from laughing at the adorable nervous fidgeting his was doing with his clothes.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, stretching out his hand in front of me. I smiled and took his hand.

"Sure." he led me to the dance floor, another slow song starting up. He gently place his hands on my hips and I settled my hands on his shoulders. This time I looked at him, I mean really looked at him.

He was dressed in simple black and white robes taking on the look of a muggle tuxedo. In the simplicity of his outfit his ice blue eyes seemed brighter then usual and his platinum blonde hair was such a contrast to his clothes that it looked as if it was shining.

"You look good tonight. You wear simple well." he gave me a small genuine smile.

"Thank you. You look beautiful tonight as well. Although you should've left your hair down." I smiled at the compliment, feeling my face turn a light shade of pink.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

"I believe I have something of yours." he said, taking one hand off my waist and reaching to a pocket to pull out a paper.

"That's not what I think it is, is it?" I said woefully, recognizing the piece of notebook paper almost instantly.

"If you think it's a letter then yes, I believe it is." my blush went from my face and stretched across my chest, flaming red.

"You didn't read it did you?"

"Maybe," he said. I glared at him half-heartedly and took the note from him. He laughed and stared into my eyes.

I was so busy staring at his eyes that I didn't notice when Snape entered the room. I didn't notice when Dumbledore got up and walked to Harry and Ginny. I didn't notice when Ginny went to get Luna and Neville and Harry went to get Ron. I did notice, however, when Ron came up to us.

"As much as I hate to interrupt," he said sarcastically. I would've glared at him and told him to sod off, but his face didn't match his playful tone. His eyes were wide, nervous, alert. "We have to go." he said, gesturing toward our group of friends that were in the Order along with us. I nodded. He took a couple of steps back but kept his eyes train on Malfoy the entire time.

"I have to go. I'm sorry." he looked at Ron, annoyed.

"Can't your friends handle their own without you for one night."

"I doubt it." I said. He smiled. "Goodnight, Malfoy."

"Goodnight, Granger."

I sighed and walked away from him, Ron trailing behind me, without another glance back.

As soon as we were out of the room I said, "What happened?"

"There was an attack on a bunch of muggles in London." I stopped.

"London?" Ron ran into me because of my sudden stop. Everybody paused and Harry turned around to meet my eyes.

"Yes. Why? What's wrong?"

"Where in London?" I asked.

"Come on, Hermione. Dumbledore will give us all the information when we get to his office."

"Where in London!" I demanded. Everyone stared at me for a moment.

Finally Luna spoke up, "The main point of destruction was a little restaurant called Caffe Nero."

"Why are you asking, Hermione? What's going on?" Harry asked.

"My friend." I said, my heart rising to my throat. "My friend I was telling you about. I told her to go check Caffe Nero out tonight."

"Maybe she didn't go." Neville offered. I glared at him.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence." Harry said.

"It's not. I know it's not. I haven't seen my owl all day after I sent my letter to her." Harry grabbed my hand.

"Let's go find out." I nodded as tears began to flow down my cheeks. How could I have done this. My best friend could be dead because I wasn't careful. Of course they would go after her. Not only is she a muggle who is friends with a mudblood, but she knows too much.

She could be dead, and it's could be all my fault.


	8. Almost Famous

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own the HP books or the characters. but I do own the plot and Jessica._

_**A/N: **__this chapter is extremely important for Draco and it's going to kick-start a lot of important things in the future. I really hope you like it guys, so read on and review. please review._

Almost Famous

_You dream of trading places, I have been changing faces  
__You can not fill these shoes, There is too much to lose  
__Wake up behind these trenches, you run around defenseless  
__There is too much to lose, you cannot fill these shoes  
__I just wanna be famous  
__But be careful what you wish for  
__Famous  
__-Eminem_

**Draco's POV**

I didn't notice Snape's entrance into the ballroom either; I was too busy staring at her. She was beautiful. She wore amazing deep purple robes, making her ivory skin glow alluringly. Her recently flat ironed hair was in a complex braid with deep purple crystals scattered all over her head, sparkling each time she turned her head. I watched as she danced around with her friends; her smile brightening the room like she does America, like Jessica said. Jessica definitely had the right idea about her. She was… amazing. Amazing if the only way to describe her.

When I was asking her to dance, I surprised myself with the nervousness that escaped from my throat. Gratefully she acted as if she didn't notice, smiled at me, nodded, and took my hand.

"You look good tonight. Simple suits you." she said. I've never been told that before. I smiled. I gave her one of my true smiles, letting my guard down. It was strange doing so. Especially with us being on different sides of the war like she had wrote.

"Thank you. You look beautiful tonight as well," I said honestly. "Although you should've left your hair down," I said, giving her another smile. She smiled, broke eye contact to look at my chest, the floor, anywhere except for my eyes, then turned an angelic shade of pink.

"Thank you." she said quietly. I smiled at her, suddenly finding myself resisting the urge to caress her cheek. I shouldn't like her. I can't like her. At all. Ever. Wrong side of the war. Wrong side of the war. Wrong side of the war. I kept repeating this as if it were a mantra, trying to convince myself. Wrong side of the war. I felt something in my pocket and remembered the letter. I only brought the letter, assuming that I would give her the book at a later date. I shook my head. Why in the _world _would I assume there would be a later date? I shouldn't. I can't. wrong side of the war.

"I believe I have something of yours." I said, taking a hand from her waist, her appealingly soft, small waist, and pulled out the letter from my inside pocket. I held it up for her observation. Her eyes widened, recognizing the sheet of paper, then they took on a mixture of embarrassment and sadness.

"That's not what I think it is, is it?" she asked grievously. I smiled at her, amused.

"If you think it's a letter, then yes. I believe it is." her sadness dissipated, which only left embarrassment. Her light pink blush spread from her cheeks down across her shoulders and chest, flaming red.

"You didn't read it, did you?" I most certainly DID. And I happen to know that she thinks you like me and she thinks you see good in me. I sighed. Wrong side of the war.

"Maybe," I answered elusively. She glared at me halfheartedly, her blush not fading.

Eventually she gained the confidence to look back up at me. We danced and laughed and smiled at each other until Weasel interrupted us and whisked her away.

As I watched the ginger trail her like a puppy out the door, Snape came up from behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Your father wants to see you. Now." he demanded. I nodded, putting on my careful mask, the mask I showed my dad. We walked out together, passing blacked-out windows. Each time we passed one I would watch myself in the mirror, watch the mask, making sure it was molded into perfection.. You wouldn't find the sadness in my eyes if you weren't looking for it. I sighed as I thought of Granger in her dress, with those crystals in her hair. I thought about dancing with her, being so close to her, feeling the heat of her body against mine. I shook my head. Wrong side of the war. Annoyance replaced my sadness as Snape took my arm and Apparated us to Voldemort's hideout.

"I thought my father wanted me." I said. Snape nodded.

"He does." my brows furrowed.

"Then why are we-" he cut me off, standing in front of me, grabbing my shoulders in his hands.

"Draco, how dedicated to the cause are you?" he asked in a hushed but intense tone. I vaguely noticed that he said 'the' cause, not 'our' cause.

"It's my duty to be dedicate Snape, you know that." I said in an equally hushed tone, my eyes looking around wildly to make sure we were alone.

"You were happy." he said as if stating a fact.

"What?"

"With Granger. Tonight. You're happy with her." he said. Again I noticed how he said 'you're' instead of 'you were'.

"I was, yes." I said.

"You are." he clarified.

"I could be." I said before I could think about it.

"Even if she were a mudblood." I refrained from cringing at the word and remembered the night I found her bleeding. Nothing muddy about her beautifully crimson blood.

"It wasn't muddy." I said, more to myself then anything.

"What?"

"The blood, hers. It wasn't muddy. It's was just… blood. It's all the same."

"I've never heard truer words, Draco. I need you to hold on to that, no matter what happens."

"What's happening, Severus?" I said, my heartbeat booming faster. He looked around, then spoke quickly.

"Voldemort found an owl flying around London. He had your father kill it and gave the letter to Voldemort. It was from Granger to her friend in London, telling her friend to look at a café in town. It was also about the amount of knowledge she knows. She's a muggle and they've concluded that she knows too much. He sent a team of Death Eaters to find her and kill her." he paused and looked me in the eyes. "It was about you, too."

"…What about me?" I asked him, wary. Where was this leading to?

"She cares for you and she sees good in you. She sees that your family has clouded you ideas of what is right and wrong. She sees you."

"…okay…"

"Because of this, Voldemort smells betrayal. Tonight he plans on giving you the official Death Mark. If you refuse, you will be killed." the contents of my stomach began to climb its way to the back of my throat.

"Then I won't refuse."

"Your first task will be to go to the destruction sight and kill anyone who lingers. He suspects that the muggle girl is dead, but he wants you to make sure."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, making it sound more like a statement then a question.

"I plan on giving myself to the Order of the Phoenix." I quickly stepped away from him, away from his touch.

"And betray the cause, our cause. Our Lord?" I said, straining for composure.

"Yes. I was never dedicated to the cause in the first place. I'm doing what I need to do to keep our world safe."

"You've lied and manipulated everyone. Me!" I whisper/shouted.

"I never meant to lie to you, only to protect you." he said. "My life is now in your hands." I groaned and covered my face with my hands. I drew my fingers through my hair, messing up the style entirely, and looked back at him.

"I won't give you up, you know that." he nodded stiffly. Then he walked over to me and hugged me. I refused to hug him back. TRAITOR. My brain screamed, but all I really wanted to do was hug him back, he had always been more of a father to me then my own.

"She sees the good in you. Never forget that." he said, then stepped back and Disapparated out. I sighed and walked into the house, immediately engulfed in a hug by Bellatrix.

"Draco! Tonight is going to be so exciting! If only I could go with you!" she shouted in my ear.

"I don't know what your talking about." I said in a monotonous tone, remembering that I wasn't supposed to know anything Severus had told me.

"That's right. You don't know yet. I'm surprised Severus could keep his mouth shut about the whole situation." she said, then gave a loud cackle and lead me toward the dining hall where Voldemort was sitting in his throne flanked by my father. I held in a shutter that threatened to free itself and I was filled with cold emptiness that normally came with being in the Dark Lord's presence.

I bowed as I was taught to by my father, "My Lord." I said.

"Leave us Bellatrix." he said without looking away from me. She left, closing the door behind her. I kept my bored façade on, but inside my heart was pounding in fear. "Draco." he sighed. "I want to give you a chance to show your loyalty to me. You are loyal to me, aren't you?" I looked him in his cold dead eyes.

"Absolutely." I said, not giving it a time stamp. He gave me a smile that looked more like a grimace then anything.

"Are you willing to accept the Death Mark wholly?" he asked.

"Of course." I said, with a ring of finality in my voice. The shaking in my voice would have only been noticed by someone who were looking for it. And by the satisfied look on both my father and the Dark Lord's faces they hadn't noticed anything.

"Kneel." he said, standing. I quickly did as he said. "Hold out your arm." he instructed. I did as I was told, holding out the arm that had the faux Death Mark tattoo, practically begging to be filled with Dark Magic. He put the tip of his wand and murmured an incantation. All of a sudden I was overcome with such a fierce pain that I cried out, quickly retracting my arm, holding it against my chest, feeling as if I were being Crucio'd, as if I hadn't felt that before.

Slowly the pain ebbed. Neither my father nor the Dark Lord bothered to approach me. Eventually I was able to stand again, the pain subsiding almost completely.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Better then ever." I said, not changing my voice, minus the ragged tone it now had.

"Good." he said. "Now I have a task for you."

"Anything, my Lord." it was like acid on my tongue to call him my Lord. He was never my Lord. Her never would be.

"Some of the other Death Eaters went down to a small café in London, Caffe Nero, looking for a muggle that knows too much and is connected to one of Potter's friends. We've killed her, but we can't have any loose strands now can we?"

"No, my Lord." I replied.

"I want you to go down to the destruction site and make sure there are no people walking around alive. Kill anyone you come into contact with. Can you do that for me?" I nodded.

"Anything, my Lord." he smiled at me again.

"Good. Now go on. Do not let Bellatrix go with you. I trust you to do this alone." I nodded again.

"I understand, my Lord. And thank you for giving me this opportunity to prove myself loyal to you."

"Your welcome. You are dismissed." I turned and walked away.

_**A/N: **__So, did you like it? I hope so! Review! Please please please! They make my day! REVIEW! :D_


	9. Careful

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own the Harry Potter books, but I do however own the plot and Jessica __J_

_**A/N**__: GUYS! I don't know how much I can thank you over and over again for the reviews. They make my entire day so please keep them coming! Also, this chapter is really important for Jessica. We're about to start reading a lot about her so I hope you guys like her. Anyway, onward to the chapter!_

Careful

_Shifting your weight  
To throw off the pain  
Well you can ignore it  
But, only for so long  
You look like I did  
You resist me just like this  
You can't tell me to heal  
And, it hurts remembering  
How it felt to shut down  
-Paramore_

**Jessica's POV**

My breath. My breath was the only thing you could here echoing in the kitchen. I tried to cry out, but to no avail.

_Get up!_, my brain shouted at me. _RUN!_

My breathing hitched as I recalled what had happened minutes, hours, seconds ago.

I had received the letter Hermione had sent. I was surprised that it wasn't taken by her owl, but was dropped in the mailbox. That should've alerted me. But it didn't. I was blind to it.

I went to the café she had suggested, Caffe Nero. When I got there the night sky was slowly becoming grey and cloudy. Fog was rolling in. I got an eerie sensation as I stared up at the sky. A sense of dread. I shook it off and walked into the small restaurant, quickly being engulfed by warmth.

I was given a small table in the back of the room. I was quietly content there, watching people talking to each other, with friends, with family members, boyfriends, girlfriends. I liked people-watching. There were a couple of loud pops, alerting my attention.

Then, as if it were happening in fast forward, people came in the café, wildly pushing tables over and yelling over each other. Then one of them shouted, "Find Jessica". My heart began to beat faster, adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I stood up beginning to run to the door. I knew it was me they were looking for; call it intuition. And then the note being dropped in the mailbox instead of being delivered. What is the chance that they come to this café looking for a Jessica? I didn't know much, but I knew it wasn't a coincidence.

A woman with untamable black hair that twisted all around her and horrid wild eyes stepped in front of me, the end of a wooden stick poking my chest. I had seen one like it before. Hermione had once shown it to me. A wand, she called it. It was something of her magical world. These weren't just people, they were people in the war. And they weren't on Hermione's side.

"What is your name?" she asked, the grin on her face widening.

"Leslie." I replied. She frowned.

"Oh, that's too bad." she said with mock sincerity. "Kill her." she said to no one in particular, putting her wand into a pocket and walked away. I was quickly seized by two men with horrifyingly tight grips. I tried ripping my arms away from them but it wasn't working.

"Get off me!" I yelled. They picked me up and began to carry me to the kitchen. The last thing I saw was a woman being stabbed in the chest by the wild woman with a simple knife.

I screamed and began to kick at the men. They were going to kill me. It finally settled in my head. _They're going to kill you Jessica. Fight._

One man threw me down onto the floor head first. I heard the crack of my head hitting the ground at such force, but I'd never felt anything like it. It was like being hit by train. One of the men approached me. I kicked him in the shin, hard. He fell to the ground.

"You little bitch." he growled. He pulled my feet toward him so that he was in between my legs, right above me. "Hold her arms." he instructed to the other man. The other did as he was told, pinning my arms above my head. I hocked some phlegm into my throat then spit it into his face.

"Ugh you filthy American!" he shouted. He wrapped his hand in my hair. "You do that again, and I'll rip every pretty little hair off you stupid little head. Understand?" I said nothing. "UNDERSTAND?"

"YES!"

The other man made to undo the button on my jeans. I kicked at him. He quickly straddled me, hovering over my face.

"No, kicking. We can't have that now can we?" he began to kiss my neck. I shouted again. "Silencio." he said softly into my ear, waving his hand over my face. I tried to scream again, but nothing came out, as if I lost my voice. Entirely panicked by the loss of my voice I began to struggle harder. The man holding my hands barely noticed my change, but he was quite unnerved by what the man had whispered.

"He said no magic." he stated, glowering at his friend.

"Do you want people to hear her screaming?"

"Is she worth it?" At this, the man straddling me laughed.

"Look at her. Of course she is." He began kissing my neck again. I tried screaming again but no noise came out. Then my brain finally began to work to my advantage. What's the most painful spot you can hit a man?

Exactly.

I kneed him right in the nuts.

He tumbled over on his side, leaving me free of his legs. The other man holding down my hands didn't have a moment to even consider what was happening when I finally tore my grip from him and ran past them and into the farther end of the kitchen. I grabbed a knife, and slowly made my way back to the men, staying hidden. One of them, the who had been pinning my hands, had the mistake of having his back to me. I ran forward and plunged the knife into his back. As he fell forward I pulled the knife back out, brandishing it toward the other man, fresh blood dripping from it.

The man pulled out his wand and pointed it at me_. He could kill me with that, _I told myself. I was sure of it. Anything magical was far beyond anything that was non-magical. Not from experience, just from common sense. Still, I held myself steady and gave a look that said I'm not going without a fight. At least I hope it did. Then he smiled at me.

"Crucio." I was brought down to my knees with such a force of pain that cracking my head on the floor could never compare to. My muscles when rigid and my body convulsed with the pain. I curled against the floor, opening my mouth with a silent scream. Finally, just as quickly as it had come, it stopped. So abruptly that when my muscles were released, they fell to the floor as if there were no bones in them. I laid against the floor panting heavily and looked up at the man. He seemed to be listening to a voice. He glared at me, then, with an extremely loud pop, he was gone.

So here I was, curled up in a ball on the floor, crying in silence. I don't know why I didn't just get up and leave. I guess I hoped someone would come looking for me, but that was crazy. I was in a foreign country with no family and only one friend who happened to be fighting in a war of her own. She wouldn't be surprised if I didn't write her back until maybe tomorrow.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my hitched breathing, when another pop sounded. I would have whimpered if I had my voice back, crawled to where I dropped the knife, stood up, and hid behind a large counter. I heard someone walking around the café, surveying the damage. The person walked into the kitchen, its wand at the ready. I looked at his face. Ice blue eyes and hair that stuck out like a thumb it was so blonde. It was slightly falling into his face. I looked at his eyes again. Fear. That was the main emotion in them. Fear, anger, betrayal. Confusion. Slight detachment in the way he was moving, as if he were somewhere else in his brain.

He walked past my hiding spot, completely missing me. He walked a couple feet forward. My knees shook as I forced my legs to point in the direction of the boy. He was a boy. Young. Maybe 18.

Without giving myself a chance to get talked out of this, I lunged forward, my feet making tons of noise. The boy turned around just before I hurled my knife into his back. I didn't have time to stop, plus my body was still weak from being tortured, so I fell to the floor, the knife clattering out of my hands, to far out of my reach. Tears streamed down my face and I didn't bother getting back up. If he was going to kill me, fine. I give up. I can't fight against magic. I'm only one person.

He gently pushed me over so I was laying on my back.

"Who are you?" he asked, his wand in my face. I tried to tell him but I still had no voice. "Can't you speak?" I shook my head. "Magic?" I nodded. "Was the spell, 'silencio'?" I nodded again. "unsilencio." he said.

The first thing that came out of my mouth was a strangled whimper. I wrapped my hands around my throat as a sob escaped it.

"You never really appreciate something until it's gone I guess." I whispered to myself.

"What's your name?" I got to my knees.

"Jessica. Miller." he stared at me. "Are you going to kill me?" he stared at me some more, his wand still in my face. His eyes were such mixed emotions, then finally they settled on anger.

"Dammit, Granger." he muttered. He put his wand away and grabbed my elbows, hoisting me up.

"Granger? Hermione. You know Hermione?" I asked.

"Unfortunately." he muttered. He pulled me over to the opening of the kitchen. He stood me in front of the door. "Stay." he said, as if I were a dog. I glared at him but nodded. He looked over to the side, seeing the dead man. "You killed him?"

"He tried to rape me." he stared at me, stunned, then shook it off and grabbed the wand the was lying next to him. He offered the wand to me.

"Take it."

"I can't do magic."

"You just have to hold the wand, Miller." he said with an annoying sneer on his face. I held the wand in my right hand.

"Who are you? What's your name? Why won't you kill me?"

"The less you know the better." I stepped up to him, invading his personal space.

"No. I've been told that way too many times. I know what happened here. At least some of it. And I demand to know what's happening now. I know there's a war going on and I know that I just got dragged into the middle of it, so I think I deserve to know!" I shouted.

"I'm your guardian angel right now so quit complaining, I'm not telling you, and… I don't know." he said after a moment of intense stare-down time.

"Why can't you tell me your name?"

"The people I'm sending you to, they can't know it was me. If they do then I'll die. You can't tell them anything about me. I would Obliviate you but I'm sure you'd like to remember this."

"Obliviate?"

"A spell used to erase memory." I nodded as if this were completely normal. He turned to me. "Do not take anything they give you. They call it vertia serum. Don't drink it. It'll make you tell the truth, and like I said, they can't know it was me." I nodded again.

"Where are you sending me?"

"Hopefully to…" for a second he struggled with her name, then finally spat it out, "Hermione." he said. "Hold out the wand." I did as he asked. He touched the end of his wand to mine, then, as if I were on a roller coaster moving a hundred times faster, I was transported to another place.

I didn't have time to register where I was until after I threw up all over the floor.

_**A/N: **__sooooo? Yes? No? gusta? No gusta? Review!_


	10. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Hey guys, I know you expected this to be a chapter but I just wanted to let you know what's happening right now, because normally I have a chapter up on Wednesday and is Thursday and there's still no chapter.

I have come down with a horrible case of the flu. High fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, and horrible tremendous headaches. Not only have I barely been able to write for this story, but I've been forced to still attend school because I've missed so many days previous to this.

This is the reason why there is no chapter up at the moment.

Now. The good news? I will post the new chapter up on Saturday for sure. I'm going to dedicate my Friday to writing the next chapter because 1) I have nothing better to do with my life and 2) I am still fighting the cold/flu thing.

Also, I wanted to clarify that Jessica will NOT end up as Draco opposite. Ever. She is extremely outgoing, can make friends with anyone, and is very open about herself and her body. She's rather shameless now that I think about it. But because of these qualities, Draco wouldn't be interested in her. He needs someone who can be just as closed off as he is and can keep up with him intellectually be it the muggle world or the magic world which Jessica knows almost nothing about.

The next chapter is going to be from mainly Jessica's point of view, mainly because I relate to her the most. (I know this is horrible but I've only started reading the books and I'm only on the Goblet of Fire. I'm going through them quickly though.) also, like Jessica, I'm discovering all of these new and interesting things that didn't happen in the movies or that I missed. It's like a new world of Harry Potter unfolding and I find myself most excited to write everything from a muggle who has been dragged into the middle of a magical war's perspective. But don't take this as no more DracoxHermione smut. Just wait and see what I have planned for those two.

I have a lot planned for all of the characters. Your going to see them be torn down and built back up and in the end they will all be connected whether they want to be or not.

So that's my plan… and my really long author's note. I'm sorry this took so long, I just wanted to let you guys know what's happening and why I haven't posted yet. Thank you so much for your patience and kindness and your reviews. Trust me. Your reviews keep me going!

So thank you, a million times!

With Love,

Anna


	11. Tomorrow

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own the characters or the Harry Potter books. I do however own Jessica and the plot._

_**A/N: **__holy Jesus. I am so ashamed of myself. I cannot believe that it really took me this long to finish this chapter. I honestly am so mad at myself. It's not like I had writers block; I knew exactly where I was going with this chapter. *headdesk* I'm so sorry. I hope you guys can forgive me and I hope you guys like it. Please review and please don't hate me._

_**Tomorrow**_

_And I wanna believe you,  
When you tell me that it'll be ok,  
Ya I try to believe you,  
But I don't  
When you say that it's gonna be,  
It always turns out to be a different way,  
I try to believe you,  
Not today, today, today, today, today...  
I don't know how to feel,  
tomorrow, tomorrow,  
I don't know what to say,  
tomorrow, tomorrow  
Is a different day  
-Avril Lavigne_

**Hermione's POV**

"Why are we just standing here? Why aren't we doing anything?" I shouted at the group of adults in Dumbledore's office. Amongst them were Tonks, Lupin, all of the Weasely's excluding Percy and Charlie, Professor McGonagall, Mad-Eye Moody, those of us who had just come from the dance, and Dumbledore himself.

"We can't risk it," Harry growled, his hands clenched into tight fists. He seemed to be glaring at nothing in particular. "We can't risk it when we have everything to lose."

"Are we sure it was the work of You-Know-Who?" Luna asked.

"The Dark Mark was hovering above the café," Tonks said darkly, not happy about her being questioned.

"Frankly, I'm surprised he ordered his people to attack a bunch of Muggles," said Lupin. Moody grunted his agreement.

"It seems he's getting bored," Dumbledore said quietly. Everyone fell silent for a moment. They were probably imagining the idea of Voldemort being bored and the damage it could cause. A random attack on Muggles would prove this. It seemed completely random. And if Voldemort was attacking randomly, then he was a threat to everyone, magical or non-magical. But it wasn't random. I'm sure of it.

"It wasn't random," I whispered, trying to build up the fierceness I had before.

"What do you mean, Miss Granger?" McGonagall questioned.

"They were looking for a non magical, American friend of mine. I've been Owling her on and off," I said slowly, thinking about such a stupid mistake. I knew both sides were intercepting owls left and right, but it had never occurred to me that mine could be taken down; it hadn't been real to me. Until now. Now when my best friends' life was in danger. She could be dead for anybody knew.

"You've been Owling a non-magical girl? A Muggle?" Arthur said, shock filling his voice.

"I've never told her anything about magic. Once when I was a little girl I showed her my wand, but she thought I made it up. She's a year older then I, so she wrote it off as imagination."

"I cannot _believe_-" I cut off Molly, looking straight at Dumbledore.

"I've Owled her twice since she's been here. I suspect they watched my owl the first time, saw it went to a Muggle, and intercepted it the next time they saw it," I took a deep breath and looked around the room, "I never revealed us or what we do, but she knows there is a war. She doesn't know what kind of war, but she knows its there. Although I've never really told her about magic, she has her suspicions," I said, putting my hand in the pocket of my robes, holding her note in my hand, willing myself to draw strength from her words, her wisdom. "She's truly wise beyond her age."

All of a sudden the loud sound announcing someone Apparating resonated throughout the room; the _pop _echoed so loudly it made me instinctively grab Ron's hand and raise my wand toward the sound. So did the rest of the people in the room; all on edge and cautious immediately.

When the sound finally ended and the shape became the figure of a person, I was able to place specific features to the person.

The girl was wearing black skinny jeans, a black spaghetti strap, and a black jumper with the sleeves rolled up above her elbows. She had distinct defensive wounds on her forearms. There was blood staining her clothes and hands. Her brown hair, also stained slightly red with blood, was falling all around her face, and her bangs were stuck to her forehead with sweat. She stiffly held a wand out in front of her; her hand seemed to be shaking.

Her eyes snapped up, but they were extremely unfocused, as if she were still spinning from Apparating. Her eyes. They were unmistakable. Golden brown surrounded her pupils and a ring of blue surrounded the brown. The most distinguishable thing about her eyes were the simple flecks of green that were dotted randomly in her brown. And her eyes brought out her freckles which were spread around her under her eyes and on her nose.

It could never forget the face of my childhood.

"Jessica?" I shouted, retracting my hand from Ron's and taking a couple steps forward.

Then her body hunched over and the entire content of her stomach made a violent appearance.

**Jessica's POV**

"Jessica?"

As my stomach gave a final heave I felt someone pull my hair out from my face so I wouldn't get vomit in it.

"God, how do you people _do_ that?" I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. A hand rubbed my back.

"You okay?" I closed my eyes, still hunched over my puke spot, and took a deep breath. I straightened up and nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks Mi." I turned around and enveloped her in a grateful hug. She pulled back and smiled at me with concerned eyes. Just like my mom would've, she pulled hair out of my eyes and placed it behind my ear.

"You ready to talk to us?" My eyebrows furrowed. Us? Finally I looked around the room only to see that we weren't the only people in the room. I was in a large room with a considerably big amount of people, enough people to fill the room. My eyes drifted around from face to face until they rested on a man, very old in age with a long silver beard and glasses resting gently against his nose. Somehow his presence seemed to make the room lighter, like someone had turned off the gravity. His presence held the very essence of magic.

"What just happened?" I asked him. Hermione waved her wand over the mess my stomach created, then began pulling her fingers through my hair, which no doubt had some type of barf in it.

"If I'm not mistaken," began the man, "you just Apparated."

"What is Apparating?"

"It's magically being able to transport from one place to another." I nodded. "Why don't you sit?" he said. He waved his wand in the air and conjured a chair that happened to match the room well and offered it to me. I glanced at Hermione, who gave me an encouraging smile, then I walked the short distance to the chair and sat down, crossing my legs.

"Thank you." Everyone in the room was silently scrutinizing me, staring at me.

"Are you a witch?" One of them asked rather bluntly.

"Tonks," the man next to her said, his voice in warning, taking her hand in his.

"What? Everyone's wondering it. How else could she have Apparated in?" she said in annoyance to the man, but took his hand none-the-less.

"She's not a witch. She's a Muggle." said Hermione, coming to my rescue.

"The how did she do it?" one of the red-headed identical twins asked. Normally I would've stepped in and said something along the lines of, 'I'm right here. You don't have I pretend I'm not', but I didn't. I still wasn't very sure as to what I was going to say about the entire situation. Truthfully, I don't even really know what happened in this first place. All I knew was that I needed to keep the boy secret. As long as they didn't know who he was he wouldn't get hurt. Maybe, if I told them everything I know, and just kept the way he looked out of it then I wouldn't have to lie.

Something told me that, even if I tried to lie to this people, they'd know. There was something powerful about the group of people surrounding me. I took a deep breath and began to cross my arms when I was prodded with the wand I was still holding in my hand. I took it in both of my hands, watching it closely, as if it would disappear.

"Where did you get that wand, Miss. Miller?" the old man asked me.

"It was a mans…" I said, realizing I didn't know his name. I took small notice that I never told the old wizard my name.

"Did he have a mark on his arm that looked like this?" he asked, conjuring a serpent that had twisted itself into a 8-like shape. I shook my head.

"Not on the man. But on the woman." I said, shivering with the fresh memory of the woman stabbing the other with the crazed glint in her eyes.

"What woman?" I closed my eyes, forcing myself to remember her face.

"She has wild, dark eyes. Almost black. And her hair was black and curly, it curled all the way down to her waist."

"Bellatrix," a boy said, staring gravely at the floor. The blond girl next to him grabbed his hand and rubbed his arm. He looked down at her, gave her a half-hearted smile, and squeezed her hand. I couldn't help but smile at the sweet gesture.

"That's Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood." Hermione said. I smiled and nodded.

"All of the red-heads? They're all Weasely's." she started from the tallest and worked her way down. "Arthur Weasely, the father; Molly Weasely, the mother; Bill Weasely, he works for the Ministry." I gave her a confused look. "I'll explain later." I laughed.

"Okay."

"And next to Bill are Fred and George Weasely, the identical twins. They own a joke shop in Hogsmeade."

"How do you tell them apart?"

"Don't worry about it, you won't really have to. There's never a time when there's one without the other." I snickered and nodded for her to continue. "Next to them is Ron."

"_The_ Ron?" I asked her, smirking at him. He felt me staring at him because he glanced over at me. When he caught my eyes he immediately became fidgety under my gaze.

"The one and only." Hermione muttered then continued. "Next to him is Harry Potter." I turned my gaze to Harry, but he was already watching me. It took me a moment to realize he wasn't watching me, but was watching the wand in my hand. I glanced down at the wand which was resting in my hands which were in my lap. I took a deep breath and stood up. I felt the adults the room turn to me and scrutinize my every move and I walked the short distance to Harry. His eyes flicked to meet mine as I stepped in front of him, holding the wand with both hands in front of me in a non-threatening way.

"I've heard a lot about you. And I know that you're a big part of this war. I know that this is an extremely difficult time for you. I don't know the details but I know that you're going to have to do something big to save a lot of people. Even though I'm not apart of your world I want to… bridge the gap in a way. I want to offer you anything I can do. For you, for your world, and for Hermione. Everything she's told me about you…" I smiled, "Your like a brother to her. You've been there for her when I couldn't be. Thank you." I held out the wand to him. "I know this can do things that I can't." Before giving him the wand, I turned around to face the adults. "I didn't preform magic if any of you were wondering. Someone else did. He saved my life. I can't tell you who he is, because if I did he would die. He can't die. He's a good person whose on the wrong side of the tracks. He'll come around, but until then I'm keeping his identity a secret whether any of you like it or not." I turned back to Harry. "I saw you watching the wand. You can have it; I don't need it." I said, handing the wand over to him. Our fingers brushed for a moment and I smiled at him. He smiled back, but a small redhead inched closer to him.

"Hi." I grinned at her, "I'm Jessica Miller. You must be Ginny. Hermione's told me a lot about you." I said, holding my hand out at her, trying to make peace. She already seemed to not like me.

"Hi. I've heard some about you as well. It's nice to finally meet you." she said, apprehensively watching my hand. I glanced down at my hand, expecting her to take it, when in finally noticed the blood. I looked down at the front of my shirt. Blood. I touched my hair. Dry with more blood. My hands began to shake and my breathing began to speed up.

Hermione came up behind me and guided me back to the chair by my shoulders with shaky legs. She gently pushed me down to sit in the chair. One of the women came up to me, looked me in the eyes, and said, "Neville, Luna. Go get Madam Pomfrey. She still looks sick."

"It's the blood." Hermione said. "She doesn't like blood." I dug my nails into the leather of the armrest.

"Is this your blood?" the woman asked. I swallowed the bile that began to rise in my throat and shook my head.

"Whose is it?" A man asked, limping his way toward me. His fake eye twisting and writhing in it's socket. I froze.

"Erm… Jessica, Mad-Eye Moody and Professor McGonagall." I nodded.

"Uhm… a guy. Him and a friend of his… Bellatrix? Is that what he called her? Neville?" I asked Hermione. She nodded. "She ordered two guys to kill me. They took me to the kitchen and one of them… he… he tried to rape me." Professor McGonagall touched my hand and watched me sympathetically. "I… I kneed him and I started to run away but I knew I'd either have to fight or die because if I ran… where would I go? So I grabbed a knife a stabbed one of the guys in the back. He died." I said, hanging my head.

"What happened to the other man?" she asked. I took a breath and looked back into her dark eyes.

"The other man used magic on me. I guess… he said _Crucio_ and I just… it started to hurt. Everywhere." I whispered.

"It's okay Jess, we know what that is. You don't have to explain it." I nodded.

"Then he stopped and seemed to be listening to a voice in his head-" Harry spoke up.

"The Mark. That's how they communicate. Through The Mark." I nodded as if I understood.

"Then what?" the professor asked me.

"Then he left… how I did."

"He Disapparated." Hermione supplied.

"Right. He Disapparated. Then the man that saved me came. I almost killed him too. He's lucky he can move fast." I said, mainly to myself.

"Are you sure you won't tell us about the man who saved you?" The old man asked. His voice held such power and authority that I shivered. Magic literally rolled off of him in waves.

"I'm sorry but no. I can't. Not yet. And I must ask you to respect that." I said quietly, comparing my voice to the power timbre that came from the old man with the long, grey beard. There was absolutely no comparison.

"I will, Miss Miller." he said. A woman rushed into the room with Neville and Luna trailing behind her.

"What happened to her?" she asked, then he question quickly changed to, "Is she a Muggle?"

"Muggle?" I asked Hermione.

"Non-magical human." Madam Pomfrey stared at Hermione incredulously then turned her gaze to the powerful man.

"Dumbledore! You can't possibly be allowing this!" she said.

"She's been dragged into the middle of the War and quite frankly she's had a foot in both worlds for years now, whether she knew it or not." He gave me a small smile. Madam Pomfrey frowned but stepped forward to examine me. Professor McGonagall moved out of her way as she waved her wand over me.

"She's a medic. She uses her wand to look over your entire body, examine you internally and externally. Then she's able to make a diagnosis and make the correct potion to heal you."

"Wow. It's like all of the muggle medicine shoved into a wand. It does everything minus the bulk." I said stupidly.

"Basically." Hermione said, humor clear in her voice.

"Well," said the medic. "she has some small cuts and a couple bruises which could be fixed easily. Other then that I would suggest a long shower and a lot of sleep. I can get the potion to fix her cuts right now." she began to walk away, but I stopped her.

"No, no. It's okay. I don't need it. Save it for someone who does. I've had to deal with scrapes and bruises my whole life. I think I'll be okay this time too."

"You sure, Jess?" Hermione asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. I think my most pressing issue is the blood. I just need a shower." Madam Pomfrey looked put out, glared at me for a moment then left the room.

"Miss Granger, do you mind if Miss Miller stays with you for the time being?"

"Of course not Professor Dumbledore, it's not a problem at all." she said, rubbing my shoulders.

When Hermione and I were all but shoved out of the room by Professor McGonagall she walked us to the Gryffindor portrait in comfortable silence. The woman in the portrait appraised me with horror in her eyes.

"My goodness dear! What happened to you!" I was about to answer when Hermione took over for me instead.

"She got in the middle of a confrontation with Death Eaters." her eyes widened even more.

"And lived? A Muggle? Merlin! Deary, you are lucky to be alive!" she told me. "How did you make it out alive?"

"Well not bloodlessly, obviously." I said quietly, my voice giving off a slight sarcastic tone. The woman nodded her head vigorously.

"I know how you feel sweetheart. I once came into contact with Sirius Black! Horrible thing he was." Her eyes seemed to glaze over with the memory, shivered, then focused back on the girls in front of her. Hermione murmured the password and the woman opened the portrait, welcoming us to the very empty Gryffindor common room.

"Who is Sirius Black?" I asked while we slowly walked up the stairs to her room.

"Harry's Godfather. He died last year." I paused.

"Godfather? But… she just said he… he was a horrible thing. She think's he's evil. Isn't Harry your world-"

"The Wizarding world's." she corrected. I took a breath a nodded.

"The Wizarding world's salvation?" I finished. She nodded.

"Yes. No one understood what happened with Sirius. He was a good person who wanted to protect Harry and warn him from impending danger from Voldemort. But when the time came he gave his life to protect Harry. He was a truly amazing and good man." I nodded and began walking again.

"I have two questions."

"Then ask them."

"But I have a feeling both of the answers are equally important."

"Try me."

"Wizarding world? Honestly Hermione, I feel like I'm in some far away place that never existed." We finished walking up the steps and stopped in front of a lone door. Hermione took out the wand she had showed me those many years ago. Now instead of looking brand new and exciting it looked old, worn, used, and chipped.

"Dorothy, your not in Kansas anymore," she said with a smile on her face. She pointed her wand at her door as she muttered some incantation. I watched as her door seemed to be stripped of invisible shields. Then she looked at me, smirked as she said, "It's good your not a witch. You would've used this to your own selfish advantage." Then she touched her wand to her doorknob and whispered, "_Alohomora._" something inside the knob clicked and the door cracked open with a small squeak.

"Like magic." I whispered. "Wow. It's real. All of it is real. And it's been hiding under our noses all this time. This is amazing." I said, my eyes brighter then they had been all day. She smiled.

"Magic does that to you." she pushed the door open and let me in. Her room was simple, much like her. She had books and parchment spread out all over the room in a organized disaster. Although I could never make sense of her mess she had a place for everything. That's how she had always been. It was comforting to know that, in the mist of so much change, that at least one thing had remained the same.

"Hey maybe I can show you some more magic tonight if your up to it." I quickly shed my shirt as soon as she closed and locked the door. I opened the door to the bathroom and cracked it as I kicked off my flats, pulled off my sticky jeans, and tossed my bra and panties on the floor with them.

"I don't know Mi. I'm tired and I kinda just want to sleep right now but there's still blood on me so I have to take a shower…" I trailed off. She made understanding noises from the other side of the door.

"No problem." I turned on the shower and walked in when it was just the right temperature. I let the warm water wash the remaining blood from my hands and chest.

"Hey, 'Mione?" she walked in.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you my second question?" I listened as she turned on the sink.

"Of course." I took a moment to listen as she began to brush her teeth.

"…who is Voldemort?" I listened as she paused in her tooth brushing, then spit in the sink and rinse her mouth. She walked over to the toilet, put down the lid and unceremoniously sat on it.

"He is a horrible person who enjoys killing muggles, half bloods, and mudbloods because he believes their blood is tainted and they does deserve to practice magic. He used to be like me and Harry and Ron. He was a teenager who didn't really understand his magic until Dumbledore found him. At the time his name was Tom Riddle. And then… he got mixed up with dark magic. He became obsessed with it. Then, once he learned everything he could, he wanted to take over the Wizarding world then force all the muggles and witches and wizards with "tainted" blood become slaves to them. The only reason that hasn't happened is because of Harry Potter. When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, it didn't work. He tried, believe me. But Harry, an infant, was a stronger and more powerful then the Dark Lord. Ever since then everyone in the Wizarding world knew that Harry would have to be the one to take down the Dark Lord; to kill him." I turned off the water. I cracked the sliding glass to grab a towel.

"How does Harry deal with it? All of the pressure."

"I think he deals with it as best as he can. a lot of people have died already, and those people haunt Harry everyday, but he knows that all of this, all of the waiting, will be worthwhile." I stepped out of the shower, the towel wrapped tightly around me. Hermione had some pajama's in her hand.

"Do you think that, when the time comes, he'll be able to kill him?" Hermione's eyes wavered in uncertainty, but she remained silent. The silence was all the answer that I need though.

Hermione didn't know if Harry would be able to take Voldemort's life because he's never been forced with the decision or had to hold someone's life in his hands. I knew. I had experienced it first hand.

I took a good at her for the first time since the summer, which was months ago. Hermione had her hair in an intricate braid with deep purple crystals scattered in her hair. She was also wearing the same purple color on her clothes. Her clothes were much different then the dresses that were seen in America, but whatever they were, they were beautiful on her and hugged her body perfectly. She wore small purple heels on her feet. I smiled, Hermione never wore heels.

"Your wearing heels."

"Your not." she paused, "I'm going to let you change."

"Not going to tell me?"

"Tomorrow." she said, smiling.

Hermione left the room for me to dress, and once I was, I found a second bed next to the bed Hermione was relaxing on. I could've sworn there was only one bed when I walked in. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom for a second too long, staring at the second bed, because Hermione began to try and explain herself.

"I transfigured-"

"I don't want to know." I said, cutting her off. I didn't have the capacity in my brain to hold this much. Everything was so new to me. The magic, the war, Voldemort. Everything was new and it was terrifying. But the only topic that was at the forefront of my mind was Harry.

I laid down in the bed and curled up into a comfortable ball and began thinking about today. The horror of actually holding someone's life in your hands, knowing that you could take it away with a quick stab or the muttering of the correct words in Harry's case. After your force yourself past the horror and you do what you must, you are all of a sudden filled with dread as you watch and feel the life that you just stole drift away from it's person. It was the worst feeling I had ever felt. And, despite what everyone believes, a 17 year old boy will not be able to push past himself and kill someone without a second thought.

A tear ran down my face and the shock began to wear off. I took a life today. I didn't even know the man's name and I took everything away from him. Rape or no rape I had no right to play God. And here I was, doing just that. And that scared me. Did it make me less human? Did I deserve to live?

If I were left to my own devices and I were to answer these questions I would have said, 'No, you don't deserve to live.' and 'yes, it does make you less human. It's not in human nature to kill another part of your race. It's not your choice.'

That was, if I were left to my own devices and if I were to answer these questions. I wasn't. I didn't have to time think because just at that moment Hermione came next to me and wrapped my up in her comforting arms.

"You did what you had to do. If you didn't you would be dead. And if you were dead I don't know what'd I'd do without you, Jess. I need you. More then you know. More then you could even possibly understand. I love you."

And with that, my tears flowed freely and I cried myself to sleep. A sleep which was haunted by a life that I had taken… and I didn't even know his name.

And I waited for tomorrow.

_**A/N: **__so please review. Trust me, Jessica, Hermione, and Draco have so much to say. They apologize on my behalf! Please? Thank you._


	12. Love Lost

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own the HP books. That all belongs to JKR. I just own Jessica and the plot __J_

_**A/N: **__yes, I do deserve the commentlessness of the last chapter but hopefully this chapter and the next that I'm going to post tomorrow will make up for everything. I am really sorry guys, I hope this makes everything better._

**Love Lost**

_Your walls are up  
__Too cold to touch it  
__Your walls are up, are up  
__Too high to climb  
__I know it's hard  
__But I can still hear it beating  
__So if you flash you heart  
__I won't mistreat it  
__I promise  
__-The Temper Trap_

**Jessica's POV**

All my life I've had an aversion to throwing up. The act itself is disgusting, yes, but it's the feeling you get right before you spew your lunch all over the place. That vile lurch in your stomach that makes your body hunch over; the feeling of bile slowly, torturously rising up your throat; and when the vomit reaches its destination, the squeeze of your stomach that forces it up and out of your mouth as quickly as possible.

Instead of waking up the next morning next to Hermione, comfortable and safe, that's what I woke up to.

The second time in 24 hours.

I cringed as Hermione pulled me into the dinning hall, the rich smell of food wafting through the doors. The hall was filled to the brim with people. Hermione had already explained to me the Houses. Gryffindor, which was my house by default; Hufflepuff, which was the house Ron's new girlfriend was in; Ravenclaw, which Luna was housed; and Slytherin, Malfoy's house.

He was the only reason I even bothered to go to breakfast with Hermione and her friends. I wanted to meet the man who had captured her heart. Okay, I'll admit, that was extremely cliché, but the point still remains.

Hermione likes someone she isn't supposed to. Star-crossed lover stories had always been the most entertaining ones.

Hermione walked us over to her friends and sat between Ron and Harry. She made some room for me next to Harry and patted the seat. I took a deep breath, my stomach still churning from my visit with the toilet this morning. I glanced up for a moment and instantly regretted it. Almost everyone in the room was staring at me. I glared back at them. My mom, who truthfully isn't the best role model, had always told me, "if people were watching, give them a show."

I sat down next to Hermione, sat up straight and watched the people over Luna and Neville's heads until they had the decency to look away.

"Jess…" Hermione placed her hand over mine, "It's okay." I glared at her for a moment. It wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. This wasn't okay. But I took another breath before I lashed out of her.

"Your right. I'm sorry." she smiled at me with concerned eyes.

"It's alright."

**Draco's POV**

Something about today just made me not want to get out of bed.

Maybe it's was the fact that I out-rightly betrayed my leader, put my parents and my own life at risk, and saved a useless Muggle all for her.

Or maybe it was the possibility that Granger's friend wasn't strong enough to keep a simple secret. Maybe she told the headmaster. Or worse, maybe she told Granger.

Once I finally stopped talking to myself I pulled myself out of my bed, dressed and walked to the dinning hall.

When I walked in the food had already been served and everyone was at their table, except the few who integrated with the bloody Gryffindors. But today something was different. No one bothered to look up at me when I entered, everyone was watching the Gryffindor table. I quietly walked over to my table, taking advantage of being outside of the uncomfortable spotlight, and sat down. None of my friends were interested in my entrance, but were equally interested in the Gryffindor table.

"Why is everyone staring at the Gryffindors?" I asked no one in particular. It was Blaise who answered.

"There's a Muggle over there." I almost choked on my pumpkin juice. When I Apparated her to Dumbledore's office I expected him to Obliviate her and send her home, not keep her here. It's crazy. I looked up and sure enough, there she was. Since I had seen her before, I took the moment to… observe her.

She seemed comfortable in between Pothead and Granger. She was talking and laughing with the people around her. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail and her bangs were long enough to try and hide her eyes, which now dimmed since the last time I saw them without the bright contract of someone else's blood on her face.

Only to the trained eye did you notice the little things. Her eyes were not only dimmed, but dull and she had slight bags under her eyes. Every few minutes she would glance up and glare at whoever she caught staring at her. She kept scratching her left arm, and I'm guessing not because of an itch. Granger didn't think it was an itch either because every now and then she was smack the Muggle's hand, a silent way to tell her to stop. And when she felt eyes on her back she would straighten her back and raise her chin a fraction in indignation.

She had more walls up then me.

The way she had coward away from him the night had made her look younger, almost childlike, and then the defeat in her eyes had made her look older, like she had accepted her fate. But now she looked her age, around 19 or 20. She seemed simple. Brown hair, hazel eyes, and a clean complexion. Her and Granger could've been sister minus a couple a differences. The way they acted with each other and carried themselves were so alike. I knew Jessica had seen too much. She had taken a life. But the haunted look that was echoed in Granger's eyes was so alike, it was unnerving, and it made me think that she had seem some things that she never wanted to either.

My respect for Granger grew as I watched her nod then politely smile at something Luna had said.

Jessica had leaned over onto Potter, much to the She-Weasel's dismay, and whispered something in his ear, his eyes flashed up to meet mine. I quickly looked down. What had the stupid Muggle said? Frustration quickly filled me as I realized my fate was held in the girl's hands. She could do whatever she wanted with the information she had been given.

I slowly looked back up and watched as Jessica and Potter began staring at Granger, who was glaring back at the. Jessica's expression was filled with excitement while Potter's was wary.

Jessica moved closer to Hermione and whispered something else in her ear. Granger's face flashed with disbelief until her eyes met mine, then she replaced her disbelief with a mask of indifference. But her eyes could tell an entirely different story.

Jessica bit her bottom lip, as she watched Granger, then glanced at me, then back at her friend.

Jessica moved closer to Granger, her lips almost touching her ear as she whispered something else while they both kept their eyes on me.

Jessica had a playful, flirty look in her eyes while she spoke to her, and once she was finished, Granger's eyes widened as she stared at me and a blush as red as can be filled her face.

Granger broke our stare as she turned to hit Jessica. Granger said something, Jessica stared at her, and then Granger rolled her eyes and seemed to agree to something.

For the rest of breakfast I refused to meet either of their eyes.

**Hermione's POV**

I slapped Jessica's hand away from her arm again as she tried to scratch it. She glared at me and I smiled at her condescendingly. It was her nervous habit, the scratching. When she was stressed or uncomfortable she scratched her arm until she bled most of the time, which would only make her more nauseous then she already was.

Luna said something and I nodded politely while I took note the Jessica had begun to favor Harry over the rest of the people at the table. It was like they had a silent agreement once she spoke to him the other night. Keep Hermione safe and figure out how to deal with the things they had to face in the inevitably near future.

I stared off into space as I thought about the idea of Jessica's part in war.

I didn't have much time to consider it as I watched Jessica lean into Harry to whisper something in his ear. I shook my head as Ginny glared at my friend. Jessica had a way of doing that, making girl's jealous. She also had away of looking sexual without meaning to. She had always thrived for attention since her parent had never bothered to give her any.

I took a bite of my food which stayed as untouched as Jessica's until both Jessica and Harry were staring at me.

"…what?" I asked, warily. Jessica laughed as Harry just watched. Jessica scooted closer to me to whisper something to me.

"I believe Draco Malfoy is staring at you." disbelief colored my face. She didn't even know who Malfoy was, but, just to humor her, I looked up and sure enough. There he was. Watching me. I quickly put my mask up, put my walls back up. You never know what your going to get when your around Malfoy. He watched me and Jessica with mild interest and a hint of frustration, but he still had his walls up. So instead of pulling down our walls we watched each other, wondering whose would be the first wall to crack.

I felt Jessica lean into me and put her lips to my ear. I could've rolled my eyes if I weren't in a staring contest with Malfoy. Jessica loved putting on a show.

"Your practically blowing him with your eyes." My eyes practically popped out of my head unattractively and the familiar warmth that came with my blush covered my face and chest.

Of course I was the first one to crack.

I broke our stare and turned to hit my friend.

"Jessica!" she shrugged, totally comfortable with herself.

"What? It's true." She stated matter-of-factly. I glared at her unconvincingly.

"That's not even possible." She raised an eyebrow and smirked at me. I rolled my eyes and sighed, defeated.

"Well, maybe you can." I admitted. She smiled and hugged me.

"I love you, Norah." I laughed as I finally recognized the quote from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Jessica and my relationship was much like Norah and Caroline's. it's funny how she seemed to make that connection and I couldn't.

"I love you too, Caroline."

I spent the rest of breakfast trying to get Draco Malfoy to meet my eyes again, hoping to see the same look he gave me the night before while we danced.

_**A/N: **__In the next chapter there is gonna be some serious conversing with Draco and Jessica (they are not going to end up together! They share a secret that could get them both killed if anyone found out so they need to set some ground rules). And you will find out what happened during the Order meeting while Hermione was helping Jessica and what Jessica and Harry were whispering about during breakfast. (Also, although Jessica is ridiculously flirty with just about every guy she meets, she does have a past and she does have feelings so give her a chance.)_


	13. Haunted

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own the Potter books or the Potter or the Weasely or the Granger and the Malfoy. But I do own the Jessica and the world that the Jessica has created by her presence._

_**A/N: **__okay so yes I know I said I would post this yesterday but I couldn't for my lack of Annaness. I'm a failure. But I have so much happening in my brain for this story so, yes. Please review. They mean more to me then anything and help me post on time. Reviews would mean so much. But of you who have stuck with me through my "break" and are still out there, I love you so much and thank you. You guys mean everything to me._

**Haunted**

_It's getting dark, and it's all too quiet  
__And I can't trust anything now  
__And it's coming over you now like it's all a big mistake  
__Oh, I'm holding my breath  
__Won't lose you again  
__Something's made your eyes go cold  
__-Taylor Swift_

**Jessica's POV**

Once breakfast ended everyone made their way to their classes or common rooms. The hallways were filled with a comfortable warmth as we made our way back to the Gryffindor common room with some exceptions.

Luna and Neville were walking hand in hand toward the Ravenclaw tower while Luna talked about some strange creature no one else could see from the magazine she carried around. Ahead of them Ron and Hannah were quietly laughing about something. Ron smiled at her which made her blush and look away. When she looked back up at him, he gave her smile that I could tell made her weak in the knees, but she kept a façade and nudged him gently. She giggled as he nudged her back. And ahead of them was Harry and Ginny, who didn't look so happy. I could tell Ginny didn't like me. I'd have to ask Hermione about that.

And in the very back Hermione and I walked slowly watching the people rush around to get to class.

I smiled to myself as I thought about Malfoy and Hermione.

When I looked over t the Slytherin table, imagine how I felt when I recognized the blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes that belonged to the person who had spared me my life. And then imagine the excitement that filled me when he was staring at Hermione. I leaned on Harry's shoulder to whisper in his ear.

"Who is that guy at the Slytherin table staring at Hermione?" I asked, glancing up at him. Harry's body immediately stiffened as his eyes flashed semi-dangerously and looked up to meet blue eyes. The boy quickly dropped his eyes and pretended to be eating his food.

"Draco Malfoy." he said, his jaw tightened.

"_The _Draco Malfoy?" I asked.

"I see she's talked about him." he said unhappily, dropping his gaze from Draco to his plate.

"You could say that."

"Did she tell you about last night?" Do I love Hermione? Yes. Do I want her to be happy? Yes. But despite everything, can I ignore good gossip? No. does that make me shallow? Yes. Very.

"No. what happened last night?"

"They danced." he said as if it was the worst thing in the world. My grin got wider.

"They danced?" I said, turning toward Hermione, who only glared back even though she had no idea what I was talking about. My face happens to be an open book to Hermione so something in my face must've made her as wary as Harry was about their pending relationship. I think Harry knew something was happening between them and I think he was just angry because he couldn't stop it. He didn't like Malfoy. I don't know why right now, but I'll find out.

Being here was like peeling an onion, there was always a new layer to unfold whether it be the magic or the people.

Harry stopped randomly in his groveling and paused in the middle of the walkway, making Ron run into him.

"I'm not." he said. Ginny turned around, confused.

"Your not what?" he glared at her.

"I'm not sorry!" he yelled. She flinched away from him as if he moved to hit her. "I didn't do anything wrong." he said softly, then he turned to Ron.

"We need to talk to Hermione." he said, looking up and over to us. Hermione looked at me, shock clear in her eyes.

"Y-you remember how to get to the common room, right?" my eyes flickered to Harry who was watching us, his random anger slowly draining from his face.

"Yeah. Go on. I can get there." she nodded, smiled, squeezed my arm, and walked away. As I watched The Golden Trio walk away I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding and everyone seemed to thaw out of their initial shock. Ginny stormed of into the opposite direction Harry and his friends had gone, Luna linked arms with Hannah and they walked off to the Hufflepuff common room, and then I was alone.

I'm admittedly not a fan of being alone. When I'm alone I'm forced to think about the things that I've dealt with and the real reasons I left California in the first place.

His name was Marty.

I don't really have good luck when it comes to relationships; I seem to choose horribly wrong guys. When I dated Marty I thought he was a good and safe choice. I thought he would stand by me no matter what, love me no matter what. Obviously that was a lie.

I remember the day he left me.

"_Your hopeless." he growled at me. He pulled open my front door harder then necessary, making the door hit the wall behind it. He stepped onto my porch when I finally noticed what he was doing._

"_Marty, Marty. Don't, please. Just… stop Marty! Please don't leave me!" I cried out as fresh tears rolled down my face and I grabbed his arm. He shook me off and looked down at me with pity._

"_Bye Jessica." I reached for him again as he walked down the steps but I missed and ended up falling onto the top step. I took a breath, attempting to regain what dignity I had left. The pit of my stomach filled with anger as I stood up. When I looked up he was trying to get his car door open in a hurry because of the rain. I pushed myself off the step and stomped toward him._

"_So that's all you wanted, huh? Just sex. You spent a year with me just to get in my fucking pants! That's all you do. You date girls, pretend you love them, get them in the sack, then throw them away like a piece of trash!" he got into the car and started it. "Is that all I am to you?" I hit his window. "A piece of trash?" He pulled out of his parking spot and began down the road. I yelled in frustration and looked around on the ground. I grabbed the first rock I found and threw it at his car, leaving a satisfying dent in his trunk._

He never looked back at me and I was left crying in the rain. After that horrible fiasco and the way people watched me mope around in pity… I just couldn't take it. I left, with my parents permission and lied to Hermione. I didn't want to bother Hermione with my small relationship problems.

I sighed and slowly began walking down one of the many hallways, giving myself the chance to get lost. I turned down empty corridors until I my feet were slightly sore from the uncomfortable flats I was wearing.

I turned down another hallway, not really seeing as I silently walked.

Out of nowhere a hand squeezed my mouth and an arm yanked me backwards into a dark room.

"Don't fight." the voice whispered. If the situation were less funny I would've laughed. But instead of freezing up like most people do, adrenaline pumped hard through my veins and years of fighting with my brothers kick started my in my brain. I elbowed the man in his stomach which made him retract his grip on me.

If I knew anything it would be to stay and fight instead of try and run away and end up getting shot in the back.

So I turned around to face the man who was doubled over in pain. He glared up at me, then took a moment to straighten himself up. I squinted at him, trying to make out who he was in the darkness.

"Stop." he said darkly. I glared at him.

"Screw you." I lunged at him, throwing my fist into his face and connecting with his nose. I grunted as I felt something in my right hand move out of its place. I was about to throw another punch with my left hand when his forearm stopped it. I reached out for his arm with my right hand, my knuckles screaming in intense protest. I laced my fingers with his, then twisted his arm in the opposite direction. He let out a grunt of pain and with a thrust, pushing me onto the wall behind me.

I could feel his breath on my face, he was so close I could touch, but I still couldn't see him. I felt like I was fighting blind.

"Are you bloody insane?" he asked, his voice rough. I smirked.

"Maybe." I curled my left hand into a fist and punched him in the throat. He immediately let go of me and choked, trying to breathe.

"Lumos." he choked out. Somehow a light finally entered my vision which was attached to the man's wand, which was pointed at his face.

"Holy crap! Malfoy!" I dropped my façade and let go of a breath I was holding. "Why didn't you say anything?" I said.

"You know, your friends are gonna be able to use your fighting skills one day." he said in a strangely calm voice. I stepped back and put my hands on my hips.

"What do you mean?" he shook his head.

"Nothing. So why are you punching me, may I ask?"

"When someone comes up behind me and tells me not to fight, I'm going to fight."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I approach someone."

"Yeah, maybe you should announce yourself first. Say, 'hey Jessica, it's Malfoy. The guy who saved your life-" all of a sudden his hand was on my mouth again. "Ya know you should really stop doing that." I tried to say, but his hand muffled the words so it came out more like, "yu no yu shud reely sop ooing hat."

"This is what we need to talk about." he said, removing his hand. "Mufflio." he whispered, pointing his wand nowhere in particular.

"W-what does that do?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent and failing completely.

"It's a silencing charm. It creates a bubble where we can talk to each other but no one else can hear us." I smiled.

"A silencing charm to the outside world."

"Right."

"Amazing." he turned to face me.

"You know who I am."

"I do." silence.

"Do they?"

"Oh ya know, everyone. Dumbledore got it out of me in the first couple of seconds. You should've seem Hermione's face-"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Are you? You really think I'm that stupid? Keeping your secret… holding your life in my hands. You don't think I know what that means? If I told anyone, even Hermione, who saved me not only would you die, but I go down with you. I would die too. I may be a muggle but I'm not entirely stupid." more silence.

"It go to you didn't it?" I glared at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Killing him." we stared at each other for a moment.

"What was his name?"

"Marcus."

"Oh." he cleared his throat.

"Well I'm glad you understand the import-"

"Don't hurt her." he turned to face me.

"What?"

"She's falling for you."

"Who?"

"You danced with her." he stared at me.

"So."

"She's falling for you."

"Okay."

"Are you?" he paused.

"No."

"You paused."

"What do you want from me?" he asked, somewhat resigned.

"To tell the truth."

"I am."

"Not to me."

"Then who?"

"To yourself." I sighed and walked toward the door.

"Bye-"

"Jessica. Were there. Were at that point."

"Bye Jessica."

"Bye Draco."

"Nox."

**Hermione's POV**

Harry walked Ron and I to the astronomy tower. It was our meeting place ever since Ron found it some years ago. We'd go up their to regroup after something happened. It was how we dealt with things; by sitting together but not saying a word. It was those times that made me feel so close to my friends, more comfortable then anything.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Harry turned to Ron.

"Ron, I think we should tell Hermione about what we discussed with Dumbledore." Ron's eyes flickered to me, then looked down.

"You tell her." he sighed.

"Your not going to like it 'Mione."

"You two sound like your about to get a root canal. Just say it, already."

"Were going to look for the horcruxes." Ron blurted.

"We are?" Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"_We_ are, Hermione." I froze.

"A-and me?"

"Hermione…"

"Y-you both were just gonna… just gonna leave me here?"

"You have to stay here-"

"You don't think I'm strong enough to handle doing this?" I shouted at them.

"No! That's not the case at all, Hermione."

"Then what is it? Please, enlighten me."

"You have to stay here with Jessica, plus we need someone we trust to stay connected to things that are happening with Voldemort." Harry said.

"And we need someone we can go to no matter what for medical help." Ron said.

"Which means research." Harry finished.

"You want me to stay behind, stay in contact with the ministry basically, and study medicine?" they looked at each other, then back at me.

"Yes." they said at the same time. I sighed.

"I need to stay here and protect Jessica." Harry smiled.

"Exactly. And maybe you could figure out which Death Eater was the one who saved her life. If he's willing to save a muggle, maybe he's willing to give us something not make us one step ahead of Voldemort."

"I don't think she'd tell me who he is. All I know is that she trusts him and I trust her fo therefore I trust him. And maybe it's deeper then all of this. Maybe her protecting his identity is not only protecting him but it's protecting her too. We don't know the entire situation so I'm not going to push her." Harry nodded.

"I understand, but still. If you could, that would be big." Ron said.

"I know. So when are you guys leaving?"

"…Tomorrow." Harry said. I sighed, feeling complete drained.

"Okay. Is there anything I need to do specifically?"

"I think you should figure out a way to get an internship in the ministry."

"Any specific branch?" I asked Harry.

"You'll have a better chance of learning something with the Aurors." I nodded.

"Consider it done."

"And study medicine as best as you can." Harry said.

"We thought you would like that part since you love the library so much." Ron said.

"So I know things. My brain is like an encyclopedia. Yes I know. But I'm good in the field too. I've been with you guys from the very beginning the good and the bad, the books and the broom. Don't think me incompetent because I'm smart. I'm just as good as you." I said, my voice sounding more defeated then anything. Ron came up and took my hand, lacing our fingers together.

"I know that. But this is where we need you. I'm sorry we can't take you with us. But we need you here."

"I know, it just… sucks for lack of a better word."

"I'm sorry." Harry offered. I nodded.

"I should go find Jessica."

**Later that night**

"How was your day Jess?"

"I broke my hand earlier." Jessica laid down in her bed facing toward Hermione.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not now. How about you?"

"Harry and Ron are leaving." Hermione said as she laid in her bed facing her friend.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not now." Jessica smiled. She sat up and kissed Hermione on her forehead.

"Goodnight baby girl."

"Goodnight."

_**A/N: **__So in this chapter we learn a little bit more about Jessica and her relationship with Draco and about the soon to be absence of Harry and Ron. Don't worry, there is going to be a lot more Dramione stuff happening now that Jessica is more or less settled in. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review. They mean so much. Thank you __J_


	14. New Divide

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own the HP books; only Jessica and the plot._

**A/N:** _so this chapter is much longer then any other one's that I've written for this story. After this chapter things are going to jump around and are going to be written in Jessica's point of view. I hope you guys like this chapter, because so much happened in this chapter that's going to be so important in the near future._

**New Divide**

_So give me a reason to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean  
__Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes  
__Give me reason to fill this hole, connect the space between  
__Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies across the new divide  
__-Linkin Park_

**Hermione's POV**

"Jess." I whispered, not getting any type of reaction. I sighed and shook her shoulder. "Jess, wake up." she murmured something incomprehensible and turned over to face away from me. "Jessica." I groaned, "You're coming to class with me today. Get up!" she groaned then unceremoniously shoved her face into her pillow.

"No." I hit her on the back of the head.

"Get up." Out of nowhere her leg kicked out at me and hit my hip. "OW!"

"Don't hit me." she mumbled. I poked her sides which made her scream and roll right out of bed and fall onto the floor. "OW!"

"Don't kick me." I said, smirking down at her. She glared up at me.

"Touché."

I left her to get dressed while I took a shower, listening to her talk to herself about my clothes or lack there of. When I got out, I regretted leaving my clothes and an old sewing kit my mom gave a couple of years back in her hands.

She was wearing one of my white shirts, which was expected, and an old vest I hadn't worn in years that fit her perfectly and had red and gold woven into it.

The skirt was where I got worried. She had cut off a good two inches of it then sewed it. The stitching was so good you would think it was made that way if you hadn't seen the scraps of skirt lying all over the place. And she was wearing black high heels that had red and gold ribbons on them. Right now she was sitting in front of my mirror brushing her hair.

I think she knew that no one would say anything to her. Not only was she a "helpless muggle", but she was above the legal age. She was 19. She was an adult who could do as she pleased.

I sighed and shook my head. Jessica always knew how to turn heads, whether it be in desire or envy. Every time she walked into a room every girl took a hit from their ego. Jessica was beautiful and she wasn't afraid to show it, but any girl in this schools confidence paled in comparison to hers.

"Hey, Loser." she said smiling at me in the mirror. I rolled my eyes as I remembered the quote from The Bad Mothers Handbook.

"Hey, Slut." she laughed and turned around.

"You like?" I laughed and shook my head as I put my uniform on.

"Your lucky all of the teachers in this school feel sorry for you." she frowned.

"I don't need their pity." I cocked a brow at her defensiveness.

"I know. I'm just saying, normally people wouldn't be able to walk out of their rooms looking like that without getting yelled at by Professor McGonagall." she turned around suddenly and went back to brushing her hair.

"Right." I stared at her for a moment, then went to brushing my hair.

"So, how'd you break you hand?" she glanced up at me through the mirror, the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

"I can't tell you yet."

"Does it have something to do with your source?" she snickered.

"Is that what you guys are calling him?" I smiled and walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her neck.

"We'll if you would just tell me his name…" she stood up, effectively pushing me away from her.

"I can't tell you that."

"And why not?"

"Because he could die." she said fervently as she turned around to meet my eyes. "And I could go with him." I nodded in understanding. I had already known this.

"Do you think you could meet up with him?" she watched me warily.

"Why?"

"If he was sent to specifically kill you by the Dark Lord and he saved your life instead, maybe he'd be willing to… help us."

"Us?"

"The Order. Those of us who are trying to stop this war. Trying to end it."

"I don't know Hermione. If anyone finds out about him, he'll die."

"He saved you and he's still alive, is he not?"

"Yes, but-"

"Jessica, I don't think you understand what a big opportunity this is. To get intel from the other side… it would put us four steps ahead of someone who seems to be four steps ahead of us." Jessica paused, weighing her options no doubt. Finally she sighed and met my eyes.

"I'll try." Instead of gloating about winning the argument I went straight to business.

"How will you contact him."

"I have my ways." I glared at her.

"I need more then that Jessica."

"That's all your going to get Hermione!" she shouted.

"Fine. Contact your source and figure out where to meet." she nodded, still glaring at me. After a few seconds of tense silence, I sighed. "We should go to class."

"Right." she said, her defenses still up.

"Jess, I'm sorry. I don't mean to get angry at you. It's just… this is a war Jessica. It's not some game. This is serious."

"I know that! Don't you think I know that? I _killed_ someone for this war! I took a life Hermione. Have you?" baffled by her outburst I attempted to speak.

"I-I-I-"

"HAVE YOU?" she yelled. I couldn't meet her eyes.

"No." I said quietly.

"Exactly. The moment I was pulled into this war I killed someone. So don't think that just because I don't have magical powers doesn't mean that I don't know what war is. My brother _died _in a muggle war. I _know_ what war is."

"I'm sorry." I heard her sigh.

"Mi." she said, approaching me. "Mi, don't cry." she said softly, wiping away a traitor tear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, but I think you underestimate me."

"I think so too. I'm sorry." she hugged me.

"It's okay." we hugged for a moment, then she let go, holding my shoulders in her hands.

"Aren't we supposed to go to class… or something?" I laughed at the awkwardness in her voice and nodded.

"Yeah." she smiled at me.

"Okay."

I am so ashamed of myself.

Here I am, sitting in one of my most difficult classes, and I'm staring at the back of his head instead of listening to Snape talk about something or other.

I just wanted to see the way he looked at me again. I wanted to see if it was something that was… real. Any of it. The smile, the compliment, the dance. I wanted it to be real, but I wouldn't know would I?

"Miss Granger!" I jumped, successfully knocking my book off my desk, making a loud thud on the floor. Everyone turned to face me.

"10 points from Gryffindor." he said, turning around, but then he turned back as said, "Miss Miller." My head snapped back to Jessica who was sitting behind me. She had the attention of every male sitting next to he within a 20 foot radius. They slowly moved away from her. She straightened up and placed her hands on her desk. "Although you have the rest of the school wrapped around your fingers you re nothing more then a muggle who doesn't belong." I stared hard at Jessica. I could see some horribly sarcastic response floating through her brain, and she doesn't hold her tongue very well.

"Yes, sir." she deadpanned. He sneered at her and continued writing on the board. I turned around to face her.

"Stop flirting." I growled at her. She cocked an eyebrow at me and smirked.

"Stop staring." I glowered at her and faced forward only to find Malfoy staring at me, amusement light in his eyes. I glared at him which only made his face brighten even more. He glanced away from me but did a double take, the amusement fading.

I sighed, looking to my left where Harry would normally be.

Harry and Ron were gone. They were off looking for the horcruxes without me. As much as I understood that I was needed here, I couldn't help but feel completely left out. They were off on some big adventure while I got left behind to do research. I snorted in irritation.

"You okay there, Granger?" Malfoy said, picking up my book and placing it in front of me. I looked up at him, then looked around. Everyone was paired up. I turned around to see Jessica laughing with Dean. I turned back around to face him.

"Fine. Just…fine." he snorted but sat down next to me in Harry's empty seat.

"Where's stupid and stupider?" he asked, his face twisting in confusion at his own words.

"Dumb and Dumber." Jessica said from behind us. "That's the expression your looking for."

"Whatever," he said, sneering at her. "It's all the same." Jessica rolled her eyes at him and went back to trying to help Dean.

"They went out of town." I said, "So, what are we doing?"

"Out of town? Really?" he said. I glared at him.

"What are we doing."

"Why did the brains of The Golden Trio get left behind?" I stood up.

"What do you want from me?" he stood up and put his hands up in the air.

"Okay, okay. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

"Then tell me what we're doing." I demanded. He put down his hands and leaned against Harry's desk.

"We're supposed to make the _Partis Sensus _potion." I nodded.

"And what are you doing over here?"

"Well everyone already has a partner, including your muggle friend. But if you don't want me to help I can just-"

"No it's okay. Sorry. Just… go get the ingredients ." he glared down at me for a moment at being told what to do, then sauntered off to do Snape's desk where everything was gathered.

"You okay there?" Jessica said, amused.

"Shut up." I snapped back at her.

"Someone's snippy today." she said, laughter clear in her voice. I rolled my eyes and opened my book, intending to look for the recipe for the potion when I came by a potion that cured common poisons. I read through some of the ingredients and dog-eared the page. I continued looking for the potion but kept coming on healing potions and charms. I was reading about the Episkey healing charm when Malfoy came back.

"What are you reading?" he asked, sounding honestly curious. I dog-eared the page and turned to the Empathy Potion.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I said, smirking. He closed his book and set out all of the ingredients in some type of order that made sense to him and began chopping the mandrake root. I watched him for a moment, watching as he didn't bother measuring, even though this type of potion called for the mandrake to be cut to perfection, and they were. This was clearly his subject. He had a good eye for measurements without any real utensils. The way he worked with such ease was perfect.

"You just going to stare at me all day or are you going to help me?" he asked, not looking up. A blush covered my face and I clumsily reached for the hellebore syrup. As I worked I slowly became more comfortable with Malfoy next to me. His ease and precision flowed off of him and onto me, making me feel just as at ease with myself. Neither of us spoke as we cut and poured and measured, on my part anyway. We worked well with each other, like a push and pull sort of way.

When we were finished Snape came over to inspect our work.

"Very good Malfoy." I had to refrain from rolling my eyes at Snape's blatant favoring of a Slytherin over a Gryffindor. "Now see if it works. Try the potion." he turned away from us to face the class. "Once you've finished your potion try it with your partner. Although there are some of you who are not competent enough to make a perfect _Partis Sensus _potion," he sneered at us Gryffindors, "but I must ask that you not touch your partner. An empathetic bond may become permanent if you do. Now if you could handle those simple directions, continue with your potion making."

Snape walked away from us and went to assess Jessica and Dean's potion, while Malfoy began pouring the potion into two vials. Malfoy handed me a vial and took the other in his hand. I looked at Jessica who was watching us with extreme interest and too much excitement for my liking. I looked back at Malfoy only to see him glaring at her. He sighed and raised his glass, tapping his with mine.

"Cheers, Granger." Then, without hesitation, he knocked back the entire vial in one gulp, grimacing afterward. I eyed the vial suspiciously then followed Malfoy's lead, grimacing because of the acidic, metallic taste.

As if Malfoy and I were mirroring each other, we both put down the vials and sat down in our chairs. And that's when I felt it.

A strange and comfortably familiar warmth spread from the pit of my stomach to the very tips of my fingers and the ends of my unruly hair. It was such a strange sensation that their were truly no words for it. A few moments later I felt a flicker of wariness mixed with confusion, and a second later I realized they weren't mine. They were his.

Malfoy's emotions surged inside me, filling me then leaving me, pushing and pulling, dominating and receding. The first one was extreme interest, then a strange curiosity, and then an uncomfortable wariness. We stared at each other.

**Draco's POV**

Her emotions had mirrored mine the entire time; interest, curiosity, and wariness; but she had a smidge of… acceptance, as if she understood that this is what she had to deal with and she didn't have much of a choice other then to accept and handle it. A sliver of admiration slipped unwillingly to Granger.

I felt her recognition to the emotion, then her interest at the emotion in the first place.

"This is…"

"Strange." Her eyes flashed to mine as she felt unnerved. Then I realized that that was exactly what she was about to say. At least I could find comfort in the fact that this entire situation was ridiculous.

"Right." she whispered. We stared at each other some more, just feeling the turbulence of the emotions, mine and hers, and we stared. That is, until Jessica broke our spell.

"You okay, 'Mi?" Hermione… Hermione? What the hell? Granger turned toward me.

"Are you okay, Draco?" the feeling of foreign confusion then the exact same 'what the hell' feeling filled her, and me. It took me moment to realize she called me by my first name instead of my last.

"I don't know if I like this." she said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Agreed."

"Hermione?" she looked back at Jessica. Jessica glanced between us then looked at…Hermione?

Even though I knew my confusion was filling her, I needed to think this through.

When had Granger become… Hermione in my mind?

Was it when I had decided that her blood was anything but tainted? Was it when she introduced me to her little muggle device? Was it when she complimented me? Was it when I danced with her? Was it watching her walk away?

It was all of the above.

I was… in like with her. She was intellectually competent and beautiful in her own way. She wasn't afraid to be herself which was something I had to fight for every single day.

When had that become a fight? When had I started fighting back?

When I saved Jessica.

Saving the muggle girl the Dark Lord had been looking for, dead, and sparing her life had been an out-right defiance. I could've gotten me killed, my parents killed.

When had I started considering the idea that maybe _I _was on the wrong side of the war?

When Snape had told me that he was going to give himself to the Order.

When had I decided that everything I knew was a lie?

…

I had always known that. Everything insane thing my father had spoken was nothing short of it. I took in his words in, but once I was old enough I realized that they weren't right.

All of the Malfoy men in my family had believed that I was too much like my mother; too soft, too weak. And maybe that's true.

As I took in my father's words, rules, and insane ideas I was also learning the rules of the real world around me, especially when I went to Hogwarts. My time at Hogwarts helped me understand the law of the ministry and see the differences between them. The strict rules of the ministry and the insane rules of my father fought within me for years until I finally came up with a plan to reinvent laws. Make and shift my own using the ministry's more sensible laws and my father's strange but sometimes insightful advice.

My laws kept me and my family safe, and here goes Hermione and her friend to change everything I thought I knew about myself.

"Before you people leave, clean your stations. Although none of you, with one exception, finished the potion, you will be given credit where it is due. Good day to you all." Snape said as everyone began to clean and some started to leave.

"Wow." Jessica said. Hermione and I both looked at her.

"What?" Hermione asked, slightly annoyed.

"You both are just… wow," was all she could come up with. Hermione's frustration had grown as if the temperature in the room had randomly increased.

Feeling her emotions was still unnerving.

"Sorry." she said, not particularly directed at anyone. Jessica's eyebrows crinkled together.

"What?" Hermione shrugged, and nonchalantly pointed to me.

"I was talking to him." Jessica laughed.

"Wow." I'm beginning to not like that word. "Come on 'Mi. I go where you go so… let's go." she said, ignoring the boys staring at her as they walked past. One of them picked up her book Hermione had let her borrow and handed it to her.

"Here you go, Jessica." Jessica took the book and gave him a bright smile.

"Thanks, Dean."

"Do you need someone to walk with?" Jessica's composure froze and Hermione quickly jumped in to save her as the rest of the students walked out of the room.

"No she doesn't. She's walking with me. Thanks, though, Dean." Hermione said, giving him and equally bright smile. He smiled back at Hermione but glanced back at me. I glowered at him. He frowned and quickly left the room.

"Draco! Why'd you have to scare him away like that!" Jessica complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up and gather your stuff." she glared at me and picked up a bag Hermione had given to her and slung it over her shoulder.

Hermione was watching me, filled with interest and confusion, for reasons I could only begin to guess at. She shook herself out of her stupor and stood up gathering her things. Jessica tried to sound bored as she cleared her throat but failed miserably. Hermione didn't bother glancing at her, but I looked up. She looked pointedly at Hermione then back at me. Then she gestured toward Hermione with her head, glared at me, then walked away with a small smile on her face, waiting patiently at the door.

She had quickly become the annoying little sister. Now how the _hell_ had that happened?

I stood up and gathered my stuff as well. When Hermione was about to leave I was still fighting with myself about leaving, when she stopped in the middle of the isle.

"Is there something you need to say, or something?" she asked, turning around. I looked at her, confused.

"Its just… I felt it. You want to say something, but something inside you is keeping you from doing so." she said, too accurate for my liking. I cleared my throat.

"Yes, I, um, believe I still have something of yours." true confusion filled her.

"You do?" I nodded.

"I didn't just have you letter, I had your book." her feeling of recognition filled me. "If you want it back I can give it to you later tonight, seeing as I don't have it with me…" I said awkwardly. She giggled, and trickle of adoration mingling with the rest of her emotions. I smiled to myself.

"Right, I forgot you had that too. Um, I have to do some research tonight in the library, but I wouldn't mind if you joined me?" she offered. I smiled, but then my smile faltered as I thought back to the letter my father had sent me. Pansy. Dread filled me and I thought about the idea of marrying Pansy. Unfortunately Hermione felt it too and misread it.

"Or not." she said and tried to make a quick exit.

"Hermione, wait!" I said, about to grab her arm.

"AHH! DON'T TOUCH HER!" Jessica yelled which made both of us freeze for a moment. She looked at us. "I didn't think you guys would be too keen on being emotionally bonded for the rest of your lives." I let my hand fall to my side. "Yeah, I didn't think so." Hermione began walking away when the feelings of rejection hit me like a truck, knocking my breath out. I took a breath, trying to regain my composure.

"Hermione, your not what I'm dreading!" I blurted out. She stopped, suspicion clear in the air as she turned around.

"Then what are you dreading?" she asked slowly. I sighed.

"I can't tell you yet." she dug her nails into her book as anger flowed through her.

"You sound just like Jessica!" she shouted. "Well, when you people _can_ tell me something," she paused looking at Jessica then back at me, "then let me know." and with those last words she stormed out of the room taking her swirl of emotions with her.

"What are you dreading?" Jessica asked. I looked at her.

"You don't know the half of it." she looked out the door the way Hermione had gone then walked back to me and sat down in the seat Hermione had recently occupied.

"Then tell me." I rolled my eyes.

"It's a long story Jessica." she looked at her wrist as if she had a watch there and was checking the time.

"Well, I've got time." I looked at her sideways.

"You know about purebloods." she nodded.

"No offense, but it's kinda like incest. They expect you to marry another pureblood." I glowered at her.

"It's not incest." she waved me off.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Anyway, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Arranged marriage plus a magically bound contract equals dread." Jessica crossed her legs and took a breath.

"Who?" she asked simply.

"Pansy Parkinson." I said, hanging my head. She looked at me in confusion.

"Isn't she with that Nott kid?" I nodded.

"I set them up." she gave a humorless laugh.

"Well isn't that ironic?" she said.

"Yeah."

"What about the contract?" she inquired.

"If I don't marry a pureblood, then I don't get any inheritance or money from the Malfoy companies my father runs." she cocked a brow. "My father made this contract. He's… old fashioned." and insane.

Then she burst out laughing. I glared at her.

"What's so funny?" I demanded. She rolled her eyes.

"And I thought I was shallow."

"What in the blood hell are you talking about?" I asked, completely confused by her train of thought.

"Do you want to marry pansy?" she asked.

"No." I answered without pause. She nodded, expecting this answer.

"Would you really allow your parents to tell you who your going to marry?"

"No," I said slowly, "but it's-"

"So your worried about not getting your money?" she deadpanned. I sighed and agreed. I sounded shallow.

"Have you seen me? Do I look like I can go a day without money? Does that make me shallow? Absolutely." she laughed.

"So I guess I understand why you don't want to talk to 'Mi about this…"

"Right." I said, feeling uncomfortable again.

"Even when you might be slightly unsure of your feelings for her?" she asked.

"Maybe." I said gruffly. She sighed.

"We have too many secrets." finally, something I could completely agree with.

"Definitely." she turned toward me, requesting my full attention.

"Draco." I watched her warily.

"Jessica."

"They see you as my source." I stiffened.

"They who?"

"Hermione, Harry, Ron, The Order." she said. "And they think that, since you've helped me, your looking for a way to come to 'our side'. They think that since you willingly defied _him_ once that you would be willing to do it again." I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair.

"I-I-I don't know if I could do that. I took a chance with you. I didn't think it through-"

"I know."

"No I don't think you-" I paused. Did I hear her right? "Wait. What?"

"I said I know. It's too much to ask of you. I know that. But they don't. Draco, I'm only asking that you think about it. Consider and weigh your options." she stood up. And put her bag back on her shoulder. "Ya, know, you've become a brother to me, and I know I'm not worth much since I'm only muggle, but you'll always have me. No matter what you choose. I'll support you." she put a hand on my shoulder, smiled at me encouragingly, then let her hand slip off. "Make nice with Hermione. Give her the book." I looked up at her.

"What if she doesn't talk to me?" I said, feeling suddenly insecure. She smiled.

"Then be silent together." I snickered.

"Of course. Why didn't I think of that?" I said, sarcasm clear in my voice. She sighed.

"I should probably go look for Hermione."

"Lunch is in about half an hour. I'm sure some of the house elves could find your assistance needed." Jessica gasped and spun around to find Snape sitting quietly at his desk staring at me. She quickly looked at me, fear clear in her face. I glowered at Snape while I spoke to her.

"It's okay. He's… he's my godfather. He's safe." Her fear was quickly replaced with suspicion as she looked back at Snape. I stood up and touched her shoulder which was tense, and her hands were clenched into fists. "Trust me." she unwillingly pulled her stare away from Snape to look at me.

"Okay." she grabbed the strap of her bag and wrung it in nervousness and anger. "Bye, Draco." she threw a wary look at Snape as she left the room.

"You're awfully quiet." I told Snape and I sauntered over to his desk.

"That muggle is extremely insightful." I nodded.

"She is." he glanced down then look back up to my face.

"How's your arm." I cringed and absently scratched the mark.

"Fine." I had almost forgotten about the Mark that now resided on my left forearm.

"Do you remember what I told you that night?"

"About you? Yes." I said bitingly.

"Do you remember what I said about you?" he asked, not at all affected by my words.

"…Yes. Enough of it." actually, his words echoed in my brain for days. _'She cares for you and she sees good in you. She sees that your family has clouded you ideas of what is right and wrong. She sees you.' _I could only hope that it was still true.

"Never forget that, Draco." I eyed him warily.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, yet." I glared at him.

"Severus, please just tell me. You know I'm not a fan of surprises."

"I can't. Not yet. You'll understand when you find out." I sighed.

"Too many secrets." he sighed.

"I agree." We stood/sat in silence for a little while until he broke it. "You can go to your room, I'll tell Professor McGonagall that you were with me." I nodded and grabbed my bag. As I was walking toward the door Snape stopped me.

"I think you should trust her as much as she trusts you." he said. I smiled to myself as I noticed that he was right. About everything.

"Thank you, Severus." I said, then walked out the door.

**Hermione's POV**

As the last student left I approached Professor McGonagall's desk.

I was so frustrated and angry, not just at Draco anymore, but at Jessica. I hated that she chose to stay with him instead of follow me. Although I think I might be being too hard on her about that. She was probably trying to avoid the wrath that was Hermione Granger at the moment.

Draco.

When the hell did I start calling him Draco?

The emotional bond that we now shared made me feel closer to him then any other time I had tried to talk to him or even when we danced. The bond made us feel close, why _not_ be on a first name basis?

When I offered him to come to the library with me I thought he would've gratefully accepted. He seemed to maybe, possibly, like me. But when I asked all he felt was dread. The dread nearly brought me to tears. I had to shake my head to come out of my reverie.

And then he had the gall to tell me that he couldn't tell me now.

There are too many secrets.

"Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes, Miss Granger?" she said, not bothering to look up.

"I was really interested in looking for an internship as an Auror in the ministry. I was wondering if you could maybe help me out?" she looked up, smiling.

"You'd be perfect for them. They need someone like you Hermione. I'll find the application. If you can get it back to me as soon as possible then I can pull some strings and get you accepted in no time." I smiled. This was easier then I thought.

"Thank you so much, Professor. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Your welcome dear. Now go eat, and look for you friend. I didn't see her in class with you today." I sighed.

"She's probably with Draco Malfoy." she looked at me perplexed. I shook my head.

"But, why?"

"I kind of just yelled at the both of them in Professor Snape's class. You should see them together. They're like brother and sister, the two of them."

"Interesting."

"Indeed. Goodbye, Professor."

"Goodbye, Hermione."

"Hey, 'Mi." Jessica said as she approached me from behind and sat down next to me.

"No."

"No, what?"

"No I do _not_ want to talk about Dra-Malfoy." she sighed dramatically.

"We aren't back to last-name basis, are we?"

"Excuse me, are you apart of this? I think not! You know what your problem is, Jess?" she sat up straighter.

"What is my problem, 'Mi?"

"You meddle too much." she paused, thinking about it.

"Well, that may be true. _But_-" I laughed.

"Jess! No 'buts'! You're meddling. Don't meddle!" she sighed.

"Fine. But, you were right about him. He's good people." I glared at her.

"I hate that you sound like you know him better then I do." All of a sudden, Jessica looked green around her face. "Hey are you okay? You don't look so good."

"When did food start making me want to puke?" she asked as she promptly got up and attempted to not run out of the hall and find a toilet.

I sighed. Normally I would follow her but today I was going to just avoid. If I were to follow her then I might run into Draco, and if I did that, I would feel everything he's feeling and I just cannot deal with the link we have now. I silently thanked him for not showing up for lunch.

I'm tired, stressed, emotionally drained, and the only thing I managed to accomplish was lock an internship at the ministry, which really doesn't feel like much.

So I'm going to sit here and avoid for the rest of the day because I sure as hell deserve it.

**A/N:** _so I just wanted to thank all of you who found my story and recently favorited it or added it onto your story alert, but I just wanted to let you know that the pretty green button down there? It's doesn't bite. It's calling out to all you sexy people, _'press me!' _it whispers._

…_I would suggest listening to it before it hides under your bed in the middle of the night and eats you…_

_Just sayin…_


	15. Author's Note 2

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys, I know I don't really have a right to ask this of you, but I really miss the reviews. They kept me going and kept me writing. I know I messed up by not writing for a long time, but I had things going on in my life. My cousin went to jail for killing someone, my mom is having issues a state away, my grades are slowly declining, and my dad is considering moving me out to Washington.

I've post four chapters practically back-to-back since I've been up and writing again, and I think I've redeemed myself. If you don't, please tell me what I can do, because I miss the reviews so much! More then you ever know, especially at this time when everything seems to kinda be falling apart.

And for those of you who add and alert this story, thank you so much, but reviews are love, and I could use some right at this moment.

Thank you so much just for taking the time to read this.

Always,

Anna


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